THE  RIVALS  OF 
THE  TRAIL 


LAWRENCE  J.  LESLIE 


"A  MILE  A  MINUTE  CLIP" 


THE  RIVALS  OF 
THE  TRAIL 


BY 

LAWRENCE  J.  LESLIE 


M.    A.    DONOHUE   &    COMPANY 

CHICAGO  ::  NEW  YORK 


OCFWKHT,  191S  BT 
,«JB8  NEW  YORK  BOOK  COMPANY 


Made  in  U.  S.  A. 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 
CHAPTER  I. 

UNDER   THE   SPREADING  OAK. 

"  HOLD  up,  Toby  Jucklin ;  we  might  as  well  settle 
the  thing  right  here  and  now,  under  the  shade  of 
this  bully  old  big  tree ! " 

"  S-s-say,  S-s-steve  Dowdy,  I  tell  you  I  did  s-s-see 
that  heading  on  the  1-1-letter  Ted  got  out  of  the 
m-m-mails ;  and  it  was  from  the  b-b-biggest  buyers 
of  m-m-medicine  roots  in  the  w-w- whole  country,  too. 
It  had  g-g-g-g " 

"  Hold  on,  Toby ;  give  a  whistle  and  quiet  down. 
When  you  get  excited  you  just  can't  do  anything 
but  hiss  and  get  red  in  the  face.  Whistle  three 
times,  and  make  sure  of  it.  It  gives  me  a  pain  to 
see  you  look  like  that,  sure  thing." 

The  boy  addressed,  and  who  seemed  to  answer  to 
the  name  of  Toby  Jucklin,  evidently  knew  that  the 
advice  was  good.  Strange  to  say,  when  he  began 
to  stutter  at  a  tremendous  rate,  if  he  only  remem- 
bered himself,  drew  up  short,  and  gave  a  whistle,  it 
seemed  to  clear  the  obstruction  to  his  free  speech. 

17 

1824037 


18  THE  RIVALSVOF  THE  TRAIL. 

So  now  he  went  through  the  ridiculous  perform- 
ance, and  with  a  grin  actually  managed  to  utter  a 
complete  sentence  without  once  stammering. 

"  I  say  it  had  the  one  word  '  ginseng '  in  big  let- 
ters at  the  top  of  the  page;  get  that,  Steve?" 

"  Sure  I  do,"  replied  the  other,  who  was  a  rather 
fiery  fellow,  good-natured  in  his  way,  but  so  pep- 
pery that  his  chums  had  long  since  dubbed  him 
"  Touch-and-go-Steve  " ;  "  and  it  sounds  like  Ted 
hasn't  been  as  much  asleep  all  this  while  as  we  had 
an  idea." 

"  Y-y-you  just  b-b-bet  he  ain't,"  asserted  the  first 
speaker,  shaking  his  head  as  if  deep  down  in  his 
heart  he  feared  the  boy  in  question  about  as  much 
as  he  disliked  him. 

"Ginseng,  eh?"  muttered  Steve;  "I've  heard  a 
whole  lot  about  that  plant;  seems  to  me  they  dry 
the  roots,  and  pretty  much  all  of  it  is  sent  over  to 
China,  where  the  slant-eyed  heathen  use  it  for 
some  sort  of  medicine.  Brings  a  big  price,  too,  the 
account  I  read  in  a  magazine  went  on.  Say,  I  take 
back  all  I  said  about  you  being  on  the  wrong  track, 
Toby." 

"  Huh !  I  r-r-reckon  you  b-b-better,"  grinned  the 
other,  amiably. 

"  I've  heard  our  chum  Owen  Hastings  speak 
about  ginseng,  when  we  first  got  that  idea  in  our 
heads  of  trying  out  the  mussels  in  the  Big  Sunflower 
Eiver,  to  see  if  they  had  any  fresh-water  pearls  in 
'em." 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  19 

"  They  did,  too ! "  exclaimed  Toby,  without  any 
hesitation,  and  a  ring  of  triumph  in  his  boyish 
tones. 

"  Say,  they  did,  all  right,"  continued  Steve,  also 
smiling  broadly;  "but  as  I  was  saying,  I  remember 
Owen  and  his  cousin  Max  talking  it  over,  and  won- 
dering whether  we  could  find  a  paying  patch  or  so 
of  wild  ginseng  around  Carson.  So  far  as  I  know 
it's  never  been  hunted  much  about  this  region.  But 
you  see,  we  hit  up  with  such  bully  good  success  in 
the  pearl  business,  that  it  just  knocked  the  other 
right  out  of  our  chums'  heads." 

"  P'r'aps  that  m-m-measly  old  Ted  was  hanging 
around,  and  heard  w-w-what  was  s-s-said  about  the 
g-g-g " 

"  Ginseng ! "  roared  Steve,  afraid  that  his  com- 
panion might  have  a  fit  in  the  endeavor  to  get  that 
particular  word,  which  somehow  twisted  up  his  vo- 
cal cords  worse  than  anything  he  tried  to  say. 

"  That's  it,"  cried  the  other,  triumphantly. 
"  P'r'aps  Ted  heard  about  it,  and  g-g-got  his  crowd 
out  in  the  w-w-woods  huntin'  for  the  p-p-plant. 
Must  'a'  f-f -found  a  bunch  of  it,  too." 

"  Go  slow  now,  Toby,  and  get  the  thing  straight," 
cautioned  Steve.  "You  just  rush  along  like  an 
old  hurricane.  No  wonder  you  get  tumbling  all 
over  yourself." 

"  C-c-couldn't  b-b-beat  you  if  I  t-t-tried,"  burst 
out  the  other,  indignantly. 

"Well,"  drawled  Steve,  with  a  smirk,  "that's  a 

14 


20  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

fact,  I  am  a  little  quick  on  the  trigger,  and  go  off 
before  I  had  ought  to,  lots  of  times ;  but  then  you 
see,  I  c'n  speak  straight,  and  it  don't  matter  much. 
But  to  get  down  to  business  again,  don't  you  re- 
member Bandy-legs  telling  us  a  week  or  more  ago 
that  he  saw  Ted  down  at  the  railroad  station,  and 
he  was  folding  up  a  bill  of  lading  like  he'd  been 
shipping  something  out?  We  talked  it  over  at  the 
time,  and  allowed  Ted  h'd  been  sending  his  old 
wheel  to  the  factory  to  get  it  japanned  over  again." 

"  But  now  we  know  b-b-better ! "  ejaculated  Toby, 
puffing  out  his  cheeks  in  the  effort  to  talk  with  as 
little  stumbling  as  possible.  "  It  wasn't  his  w-w- 
wheel  'tall,  but  a  package  of — you  know  what, 
Steve!" 

"  That  was  real  cute  of  you,  Toby,  getting  around 
the  rocks  like  you  did,"  remarked  the  admiring 
Steve.  "Best  to  always  avoid  trouble,  when  you 
can.  It  comes  niore'n  halfway  to  meet  a  feller 
mostly,  anyhow.  Yes,  ten  to  one  it  was  a  bundle 
of  dried  ginseng  roots  Ted  Shafter  was  sending 
away.  And  if  they've  been  doing  this  same  right 
along,  and  struck  a  soft  thing — say,  old  boy,  they 
may  get  their  motorcycles  as  soon  as  our  crowd 
does ! " 

The  two  boys  looked  at  each  other  when  Steve 
made  this  stunning  announcement.  It  was  a  mat- 
ter that  concerned  them  deeply.  And  to  fully  un- 
derstand why,  it  might  be  as  well  for  us  right  here 
to  go  back,  ascertain  who  Steve  and  Toby  were, 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  21 

and  also  what  relation  they  bore  to  the  other  boys 
mentioned  in  their  little  talk  under  the  wide  spread- 
ing tree  that  cast  such  a  pleasant  shade  on  this  hot 
day. 

They  lived  in  the  little  town  of  Carson,  located 
in  a  Northern  State  on  the  very  pretty  Evergreen 
River,  which  in  turn  was  formed  by  the  junction  of 
two  smaller  streams  known  as  fJie  Elder  and  the 
Big  Sunflower. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  long  summer  vacation 
five  lads,  who  were  great  friends,  had  banded  them- 
selves together  under  the  name  of  the  "  Outing 
Boys  of  Carson."  They  had  quite  extensive  plans 
of  what  they  would  like  to  do  in  company ;  but  in 
the  beginning  a  terrible  lack  of  funds  threw  cold 
water  over  these  ambitious  schemes. 

But  the  two  cousins,  Max  and  Owen  Hastings, 
conceived  a  glorious  idea  that  promised  at  least  a 
shadowy  chance  for  success.  They  believed  that 
as  pearls  of  considerable  value  had  been  found  in 
many  of  the  streams  in  Indiana  and  other  middle 
Western  States,  a  search  among  the  mussels  that 
were  known  to  lie  plentifully  along  the  Big  Sun- 
flower might  result  in  their  securing  a  prize  or 
two. 

Accordingly  these  four,  with  another  boy,  called 
"  Bandy-legs  "  on  account  of  the  fact  of  his  lower 
extremities  being  a  bit  short,  and  with  a  slight 
curve,  after  the  style  of  a  Western  cowboy — these 
five  had  gone  camping  up  in  the  region  of  the  Big 


22  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

Sunflower,  and  met  with  astonishing  success  from 
the  start. 

They  had  secured  a  number  of  very  fine  pearls, 
as  well  as  others  not  so  valuable.  But  the  supply 
of  fresh-water  clams,  known  among  the  natives  as 
mussels,  was  presently  exhausted;  and,  after  quite 
a  lively  time,  as  set  down  in  a  previous  story,  the 
Outing  Boys  had  returned  home  to  Carson,  where 
their  find  created  the  utmost  excitement. 

Mr.  Eollins,  the  editor  of  the  Carson  Weekly 
Town  Topics,  had  interviewed  Max  and  printed 
quite  an  account  of  the  new  discovery  in  his  paper. 
Quite  a  few  letters  had  been  received  from  jewelers 
who  had  read  the  story,  copied  in  the  city  papers, 
and  offers  were  even  made  for  the  pearls. 

In  the  end,  the  father  of  Max,  Mr.  Hastings, 
with  whom  Owen,  being  an  orphan,  also  lived,  went 
to  the  city  and  negotiated  a  sale  for  just  tivo  of  the 
pearls.  They  had  turned  out  even  more  precious 
than  any  of  the  boys  had  believed  possible.  And 
in  the  amount  received  for  two  out  of  the  five  fine 
ones,  there  were  ample  funds  for  the  boys  to  send 
away  for  the  longed-for  motorcycles,  of  which  they 
had  been  so  long  dreaming. 

The  streams  around  Carson  were  being  daily 
scoured  by  eager  pearl  hunters;  but,  strange  to 
say,  not  a  single  gem  worth  mentioning  had  as  yet 
been  discovered.  It  appeared  as  though  the  Out- 
ing Boys  had  monopolized  the  entire  plant  during 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  23 

that  short  time  they  were  in  camp  on  the  Big  Sun- 
flower. 

Now  they  were  expecting  the  arrival  of  the  ma- 
chines any  day,  and  consequently  there  was  a  fever 
running  the  rounds  in  four  separate  homes  of 
Carson. 

Ted  Shafter  had  long  been  the  recognized  bully 
of  the  neighborhood.  He  was  a  big,  hulking  fel- 
low, whose  reputation  was  not  of  the  best.  But 
naturally  he  had  a  following  of  his  own,  fellows 
who  basked  in  the  sunlight  of  his  presence,  and 
were  ever  ready  to  do  his  bidding  in  order  to  curry 
his  favor. 

Two  of  these  boys  went  by  the  names  of  Amiel 
Toots  and  Shack  Beggs.  Let  it  be  enough  to  say 
right  here  that  they  were  only  smaller  specimeis 
of  Ted  Shafter  himself.  Given  the  chance,  either 
of  them  would  have  developed  into  the  same  kind 
of  shiftless  bully  that  Ted  had  long  been  known  to 
be,  a  nuisance  to  the  neighbors,  and  a  terror  in 
their  own  families. 

Toby,  after  all,  was  the  first  to  break  the  long 
silence  that  had  followed  the  announcement  of 
Steve  about  the  motorcycles. 

"  G-g-good  g-g-gracious !  "  he  stammered,  "  s-s- 
say,  wouldn't  it  be  terrible  now,  if  they  w-w-went 
and  got  the  same  make  of  w-w- wheel  as  we  have  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know ! "  replied  Steve,  reflectively. 
"  Chances  are  they'd  get  into  a  peck  of  trouble  right 
away  with  an  engine  to  run.  Much  any  ot  that 


24  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

crowd  knows  about  valves,  cylinders,  exhaust,  com- 
pression, pistons,  cams,  carburetor,  connecting 
rods  and  all  them  things  connected  with  an  up-to- 
date  motorcycle." 

Toby  looked  at  his  comrade  while  he  so  glibly 
reeled  all  these  words  off,  as  if  he  would  give  a 
great  deal  to  be  able  to  speak  so  rapidly  without 
tripping  once. 

"  B-b-but  p'r'aps  they've  b-b-been  studyin'  up, 
same's  we  have,"  he  managed  to  say.  "  You  know 
none  of  us,  'cept  Max,  knew  the  f-f-first  thing  about 
machinery  till  lately,  S-s-steve ! " 

"  Oh,  rats ! "  snorted  the  other,  with  a  derisive 
shake  of  his  head ;  "  there  ain't  one  out  of  that 
bunch  would  bother  his  head  studying  anything; 
a  ad  you  know  it,  Toby  Jucklin." 

"Y-y-yes,  that's  so,  S-s-steve,"  assented  the 
other;  and  then  added  triumphantly,  "b-b-but 
don't  forget  S-s-shack  Beggs'  daddy  is  an  engineer 
up  at  the  works ! " 

"  Sure  thing ;  and  pretty  cute  of  you  remember- 
ing the  same,"  admitted  Steve,  who,  in  spite  of  his 
impetuous  ways,  was  easily  convinced  when  he  had 
made  a  mistake,  and  ever  ready  to  own  up.  "  Guess 
Shack  must  'a'  sorter  inherited  some  of  his  dad's 
machine  instincts  then.  I  remember  now  he  did 
fix  up  that  broken  automobile  that  went  into  the 
ditch,  and  got  a  whole  dollar  from  the  man  that 
was  hurt  when  she  took  the  dip." 

"  B-b-better  be  g-g-getting  along,  hadn't  we,  S-s- 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  25 

steve?  Might  f-f-find  Bandy-legs  over  at  the  H-h- 
hastings  h-h-house ! " 

"  Say,  won't  it  be  fun  though  to  see  old  Bandy- 
legs  mount  his  motorcycle ! "  grinned  Steve,  as 
though  the  very  thought  gave  him  pleasure.  "  I 
remember  what  a  tough  time  he  had  getting  a  bike 
to  fit  him,  with  his  short  legs.  He  was  mighty  par- 
ticular about  writing  out  his  directions,  I  took  no- 
tice. If  they  send  him  just  an  ordinary  machine 
what  could  be  done  to  make  it  fit,  d'ye  think, 
Toby?" 

"P-p-pull  his  legs,  that's  all!"  spluttered  the 
other,  also  grinning. 

. "  Well,  we've  threatened  to  do  that  for  him  lots 
of  times,  but  somehow  never  just  got  up  steam 
enough  to  make  a  start.  But  the  chance  may  be 
closer  at  hand  than  any  of  us  think.  Say,  I  c'n 
hardly  wait  till  they  come.  Never  slept  a  wink  last 
night  for  thinkin'  about  what  glorious  times  we 
five  chums  expect  to  have  this  summer  and  early 
fall.  Gee,  but  that  was  a  lucky  think  about  the 
pearl  racket ! " 

"  Just  g-g-great ! "  agreed  Toby,  beginning  to 
take  off  his  coat ;  it's  a  h-h-hot  walk  over  to  H-h- 
hastings',  and  what's  the  use  k-k-keeping  our  c-c- 
coats  on,  I'd  like  to  know  ? " 

"Good  idea,  Toby,  and  I'll  follow  suit,"  re- 
marked Steve. 

He  had  just  started  to  get  one  arm  out  of  the 


26  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

sleeve,  when  he  gave  utterance  to  a  sudden  loud 
cry. 

"  Look  out  there,  Toby !  Jump  out  of  the  way, 
you  silly ! " 

The  startled  Toby  instead  of  obeying  stood  still 
as  though  his  muscles  might  be  bound  in  the  same 
way  his  organs  of  speech  were  whenever  he  became 
in  the  least  excited.  And  before  he  could  even  turn 
his  eyes  upward,  to  see  what  had  given  his  com- 
panion this  alarming  symptom  of  panic,  something 
big  and  weighty  came  dropping  down  out  of  the 
bushy  depths  of  the  oak,  to  fall  full  upon  Toby, 
and  bear  him  in  a  desperately  struggling  heap  to 
the  ground,  where  he  lay  kicking  and  shouting  in 
a  half-strangled  way. 


CHAPTER   II. 

A    STARTLING    DISCOVERY. 

"HELP!  help!  t-t-take  it  off,  S-s-steve!"  roared 
Toby,  as  he  flung  himself  about  in  a  desperate  ef- 
fort to  shake  off  the  unknown  terror  that  had  come 
down  upon  his  back,  flattening  him  out  very  much 
after  the  manner  of  a  "  pancake,"  as  his  companion 
afterwards  declared. 

But  somehow  Steve  did  not  seem  particularly 
anxious  to  lend  a  helping  hand.  He  was  doubled 
up  with  laughter,  which  doubtless  the  alarmed  Toby 
considered  particularly  mean  of  Steve  until  he 
heard  a  familiar  voice  call  out  in  his  ear: 

"Goin'  to  pull  my  legs  out,  hey?  Want  to  get 
busy  right  away  now  while  you've  got  a  good 
chance,  Toby  Jucklin!  Just  grab  hold,  and  try,  if 
you  dare !  When  I  heard  you  say  that,  I  just  made 
up  my  mind  I'd  give  you  something  to  start  things 
goin'.  So  I  dropped  off  the  limb  where  I've  been 
lyin'  all  this  while,  listenin'  to  you  two  poor  babes 
in  the  wood  talk  and  tell  all  your  secrets.  Say, 
what  if  it'd  been  one  of  the  Ted  Shafter  bunch 
now?  Mebbe  they  wouldn't  'a'  heard  some  interestin* 
news  right  easy!  You  are  a  pair  of  innocents,  sure 


28  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

enough.  Wonder  what  Max  an'  Owen'll  think 
when  I  tell  'em  how  easy  I  caught  two  of  the  wide- 
awake Outing  Boys  napping !  " 

"  S-s-say,  get  off'n  me,  B-b-bandy-legs ! "  gasped 
Toby,  panting  dreadfully.  "  Don't  you  know  you 
k-k-knocked  near  all  the  w-w-wind  out  of  me,  comin' 
d-d-down  like  a  thousand  of  b-b-brick?  Yank  him 
off,  S-s-steve,  won't  you,  please?  I'm  lying  right 
now  on  a  b-b-big  root  that  sticks  me  in  the  r-r- 
ribs ! " 

The  boy  who  had  been  hiding  in  the  oak  and  lis- 
tening to  all  his  chums  had  to  say,  condescended  to 
get  up  without  any  assistance  on  the  part  of  Steve, 
who,  to  tell  the  truth,  was  chuckling  so  tremendous- 
ly over  the  ludicrous  performance  that  he  did  not 
seem  capable  of  exerting  himself  in  any  way. 

"  Now,  we'll  call  it  quits  if  you  say  so,"  remarked 
Bandy-legs,  with  a  grin,  as  if  desirous  of  ending 
the  affair  without  further  contest. 

"How'd  you  ever  come  to  be  hiding  up  there; 
that's  what  I  want  to  know  ? "  demanded  Steve. 

"  Saw  you  two  coming  with  your  heads  close  to- 
gether, and  so  busy  talkin'  that  you  never  glimpsed 
me  when  I  climbed  up  and  waited,"  replied  the 
other,  pleasantly ;  for  Bandy-legs  was  a  pretty  good 
all-around  fellow,  with  a  few  weak  points,  but  well 
liked  by  his  chums  and  the  boys  of  Carson  in  gen- 
eral, all  except  the  Shafter  crowd. 

"  But  how'd  you  ever  know  we  was  going  to  stop 
under  this  blessed  old  oak?"  went  on  Steve;  and 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  29 

Toby  seemed  content  to  let  his  comrade  do  the 
talking  for  both  just  then,  as  he  was  still  gasping 
for  breath,  and  feeling  of  his  sore  rib. 

"  Didn't  know  you  would,  but  I  reckoned  you'd 
pass  under,  and  I  could  give  a  whoop  so's  to  scare 
you  out  of  a  year's  growth,"  the  third  boy  re- 
marked. 

"  Looky  here,  was  you  on  the  way  to  the  Hast- 
ings house?"  demanded  Steve. 

"  Just  what  I  was,"  grinned  Bandy-legs,  brush- 
ing off  some  dirt  that  had  gathered  on  his  clothes 
from  his  scuffle  on  the  ground  under  the  tree. 

"  You  heard  what  we  talked  about,  of  course !  " 
Steve  continued. 

"  Say,  you  talked  loud  enough  for  anybody  as 
deaf  as  old  Adam  Hoofnagle  to  ketch  every  word," 
Bandy-legs  asserted.  "  Want  to  learn  to  tone  down 
your  conversation  if  you  ever  expect  to  make  good 
Outing  Boys.  Max  says  they  never  tell  the  whole 
neighborhood  all  they  know." 

"  Shucks !  think  you're  some  punkins  just  because 
you  played  that  little  joke  on  us,  don't  you,  now!" 
remarked  Steve.  "  We'll  get  it  back  on  you  sooner 
or  later,  eh,  Toby?" 

"  You  just  b-b-bet  we  w-w-will ! "  assented  the 
stammering  boy,  nodding  eagerly,  as  he  continued 
to  rub  his  bruises,  which  he  felt  he  could  lay  at  the 
door  of  the  said  Bandy-legs,  to  be  repaid  with  com- 
pound interest  at  the  first  opportunity. 

"  But  you  don't  seem  to  be  much  surprised  about 


30  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

learning  what  Ted  and  his  crowd's  been  a-doing?  " 
remarked  Steve. 

"  Ain't !  "  answered  the  other,  laconically. 

"Did  you  know  something  about  that  ginseng 
business,  and  been  keepin'  it  quiet-like,  all  this 
time  ?  "  asked  Steve,  indignantly. 

"  Nixy,  not  a  blessed  thing,"  replied  Bandy-legs, 
anxious  to  free  himself  from  all  suspicion  of  play- 
ing his  comrades  double ;  "  never  knew  ginseng 
could  be  found  around  Carson  till  I  heard  you  two 
fellers  blowing  about  it.  But  there  was  something 
I  was  carryin'  over  to  Max  and  Owen  hot-speed, 
when  I  glimpsed  you  two,  and  got  th  3  idea  to  join 
the  crowd.  Then  I  climbed  up,  and  sprawled  out 
on  that  lower  limb  you  can  see  just  above  your 
heads.  What  happened  later  no  need  of  my  telling. 
Toby  knows." 

"  Some  news  you  had  run  across,  you  mean  to 
say,  and  which  you  thought  the  rest  of  our  crowd 
ought  to  know?  "  Steve  went  on,  excitedly.  "  Then 
let's  hear  it  now.  You  wouldn't  be  so  mean  as  to 
try  and  keep  us  guessing  all  the  way  to  Hastings'  1 " 

"  Oh,  well,  guess  you  might  as  well  hear  it  now 
as  later  on ! "  remarked  Bandy-legs,  in  a  drawling 
tone,  expressly  assumed  in  order  to  excite  and  an- 
noy his  companions. 

"  Gr-g-get  a  m-m-move  on  you,  please ! "  groaned 
Toby. 

"Just  what  do  you  know?"  demanded  Steve, 
making  an  aggressive  movement  with  his  doubled- 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  31 

up  hand,  to  indicate  that  his  patience  was  nearly 
exhausted. 

"  They've  come !  " 

As  Bandy-legs  uttered  these  two  words  Steve  and 
Toby  almost  fell  into  each  other's  arms,  such  was 
their  emotion. 

"  Listen  to  that,  would  you,  Toby ;  he  means  our 
motorcycles  have  arrived ! "  cried  the  impetuous 
one,  as  he  gripped  his  companion's  hand  and  wrung 
it  fiercely,  as  though  it  might  be  a  pump  handle 
in  some  dairyman's  back  yard. 

"  G-g-great !  "  was  all  poor  Toby  could  give  utter- 
ance to;  but  his  face  was  eloquent  enough,  as  an 
expansive  grin  spread  over  it. 

"  How  d'ye  know  T "  asked  Steve,  a  little  cau- 
tiously, as  though  he  had  a  sudden  fear  that  Bandy- 
legs  might  only  be  guessing. 

"  Saw  'em  with  my  own  eyes — looked  like  a  whole 
car  full  of  machines,  too.  I  had  a  chance  to  see 
that  there  were  five  addressed  to  Mr.  Hastings; 
and  that  looks  like  every  fellow,  even  Toby  here, 
had  got  his,  all  right." 

"  Great  news  you're  telling  us,  Bandy-legs ! "  de- 
clared Steve.  "  Let's  get  a  hustle  on  right  away, 
find  the  other  boys,  and  go  down  to  claim  our  bag- 
gage. Gee,  I  just  can't  hardly  believe  it !  All  these 
months  I've  been  wishing  I'd  ever  own  a  real  mo- 
torcycle of  my  own,  and  here  it's  come  true.  Seems 
like  some  old  wizard  must  'a'  been  playin'  with  us 
fellers." 


32  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

"  Owen  did  it  with  his  little  scheme  for  hunting 
pearls,"  declared  Bandy-legs,  generously;  while 
Toby  nodded  assent,  as  he  often  did  when  desirous 
of  keeping  still. 

"What  was  that  you  meant  about  a  whole  car 
full  of  machines,  Bandy-legs  ? "  asked  Steve,  as  the 
trio  started  off  at  a  fast  pace,  regardless  of  the  hot 
sun's  rays. 

"Just  what  I  said;  there  were  more  machines 
than  our'n  in  that  car,"  the  other  replied,  imme- 
diately. 

"Just  how  many,  now?"  demanded  Steve,  sus- 
piciously. 

"Huh!  let's  see — yep,  there  was  three!"  Bandy- 
legs  replied. 

"  Three,  eh?  That  might  mean  Ted  Shafter  and 
his  cronies,  Amiel  Toots  and  Shack  Beggs!  Say, 
didn't  you  just  have  a  little  bit  of  curiosity,  now, 
Bandy-legs,  so's  to  peek,  and  see  who  the  other  ma- 
chines were  comin'  to  ?  " 

"What  d'ye  take  me  for?"  answered  the  other. 
"  Think  I'd  let  such  a  bully  good  chance  as  that  slip 
past,  when  Max  is  all  the  time  telling  us  to  keep 
our  eyes  and  ears  open  if  we  want  to  make  good 
Outing  Boys?  Course  I  peeked  at  the  cards." 

"Who  were  they  coming  to  then?"  pursued 
Steve. 

"You  hit  the  nail  on  the  head,  all  right,  first 
clip,"  grinned  the  other. 

"  Ted  Shafter  getting  three  machines  the  same 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  33 

time  we  do !  Well,  will  wonders  ever  let  up!  They 
went  and  did  it,  same  as  we  fellers ;  only  'stead  of 
finding  a  lot  of  dandy  pearls,  that  bunch  went  and 
dug  up  ginseng  root  at  this  time  of  year,  and  sold 
it  to  a  big  drug  and  root  house  in  the  city.  I  never 
would  have  believed  that  Ted  Shafter  had  it  in 
hun,  and  that's  a  fact.  And  it  all  goes  to  show  you, 
fellers,  that  he's  a  dangerous  customer,  once  he 
gets  his  back  up.  Say,  won't  Max  and  Owen  just 
stare  when  they  hear  all  we've  got  to  tell  ?  " 

"  Whew ! "  was  all  that  Toby  allowed  himself  to 
say,  for  he  was  so  excited  that  he  really  feared  for 
the  result  if  he  tried  to  give  full  utterance  to  his 
feelings. 

The  three  boys  continued  to  push  along  until 
presently  they  arrived  at  the  Hastings  home. 
Without  ceremony  they  entered  a  side  door,  and 
ascended  to  a  den  up  in  the  top  story,  which  the 
two  cousins  used  as  a  sort  of  workshop,  and  where 
they  could  usually  be  found,  when  not  studying  in 
their  room,  or  out. 

Sure  enough,  both  of  them  were  at  work,  and  at 
sight  of  the  happy  faces  of  their  three  chums  they 
readily  anticipated  the  pleasant  news  that  was  be- 
ing brought. 

Both  the  Hastings  boys  were  bright,  wide-awake 
young  chaps.  Max  had  had  some  experience  as  a 
woodsman,  and  knew  considerable  of  the  secrets 
of  the  great  outdoors.  His  cousin  was  a  great 
reader,  and  could  tell  things  without  number;  but 


34  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

they  were  only  known  to  Mm  by  theory,  and  not 
practice. 

Between  them,  however,  they  made  a  team  that 
promised  to  prove  of  great  value  to  the  Outing 
Club  during  their  various  expeditions  awheel  or 
afoot. 

Of  course,  after  the  great  news  had  been  com- 
municated, Max  and  Owen  were  just  as  wild  as 
their  chums  to  hasten  back  to  the  railroad  station, 
and  claim  their  property. 

"  Come  on,  boys,"  said  the  impatient  Steve ; 
"let's  be  on  the  jump!  P'r'aps  that  Ted  Shafter 
might  see  our  game,  and  go  us  one  better.  I 
wouldn't  put  it  past  his  meanness  to  stick  a  knife 
blade  into  a  tire,  if  he  got  the  chance !  " 

"  T-t-tell  me  about  t-t-that !  "  exclaimed  Toby,  in- 
dignantly, as  he  hurried  along  in  the  wake  of  his 
comrades. 

"  Oh,  I  hardly  think  Ted  would  start  trouble  so 
soon  by  doing  that,"  remarked  Max,  over  his  shoul- 
der. "  I  rather  reckon  he's  planning  to  bother  us 
in  another  way,  after  we  all  get  the  hang  of  our 
machines.  There'll  be  plenty  of  chances  to  do  it, 
I  suppose." 

"  Whoo-ee !  Think  of  what  a  racket  there's  going 
to  be  around  old  Carson  pretty  soon,  when  eight 
motorcycles  get  to  puffing  and  snorting  for  all 
they're  worth !  "  exclaimed  Steve. 

"  Listen  to  him,  would  you,  boys ! "  remarked 
Bandy-legs.  "  To  hear  Steve  talk  you'd  think  each 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  35 

one  of  these  machines  was  a  regular  wildcat  loco- 
motive, calculated  to  go  rearing  and  tearing  up  and 
down  the  pikes  around  Carson,  a-scarin'  all  the 
farmers'  hosses  half  to  deatL;  and  even  jumpin' 
fences  on  occasion  when  they  felt  fit ! " 

"  Oh,  come  off ! "  snorted  Steve,  in  reply,  while 
Max,  laughing,  went  on  to  say :  "  Well,  now,  I 
reckon  there  will  be  some  pretty  lively  times  around 
these  regions  from  now  on.  Eight  wide-awake  fel- 
lows mounted  on  new  machines  ought  to  wake  things 
up.  And  I  know  the  girls  will  admire  us  when  we 
show  them  what  great  stunts  we'll  soon  be  able  to 
do  on  our  new  motorcycles,  boys." 

"Particularly  Mazie  Dunkirk,"  remarked  Owen, 
with  an  uplifting  of  his  eyebrows ;  for  the  girl  he 
referred  to  was  said  to  be  the  prettiest  young  miss 
around  Carson,  and  one  in  whom  the  said  Max  felt 
a  decided  interest.  "  Because  I  heard  her  say  only 
yesterday  that  she  did  think  it  too  mean  that  motor- 
cycles were  not  made  for  two;  and  that  her  papa 
had  declared  no  daughter  of  his  should  ever  be 
seen  on  such  a  dangerous  contraption." 

"  Huh !  Bandy-legs'  sister,  Sis  Griffin,  don't  feel 
that  way;  because  I  heard  her  say  she  expected 
Owen  here  to  give  her  many  a  little  ride,"  remarked 
Steve. 

"P-p-p'r'aps  some  other  g-g-girls  might  be  in- 
fluenced to  t-t-take  a  r-r-ride,  too!"  Toby  blurted 
out. 

15 


36  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

"  Sure,"  said  Steve,  without  blushing ;  "  I've  fixed 
all  that  long  ago ;  and  just  you  make  up  your  mind, 
Toby,  that  when  Bessie  French  does  go  out  on  a 
motorcycle,  she's  going  to  choose  one  that  don't 
wabble,  and  hesitate,  and  get  all  twisted  up." 

"  That's  mean !  Shame  on  you,  Steve !  "  observed 
Max. 

"Oh,  well,  I  didn't  want  to  say  anything  low- 
down,  and  Toby  knows  it ;  but  then  you  understand, 
boys,  he  does  get  rattled  easy  in  his  actions  as  well 
as  his  talk,  and  a  girl's  life  is  too  valuable  to  be 
risked  more  than  is  necessary.  Get  my  meaning, 
don't  you,  Toby,  and  no  ill  feeling,  I  hope  ? " 

"  S-s-shucks ! "  was  all  the  other  would  say,  for 
they  were  by  this  time  drawing  near  the  buildings 
marking  the  railroad  station,  and  presently  they 
would  be  feasting  their  eyes  on  the  precious  motor- 
cycles. 

"  Show  us  the  car,  Bandy-legs ! "  said  Max. 

"  Yes,  lead  us  into  it  right  away ;  we'll  just  blow 
up  and  bust  if  we  hold  off  any  longer ! "  Steve  went 
on — "  Touch-and-go-Steve,"  always  impatient. 

"Here  it  is,  fellers,  right  alongside;  fact  is,  I 
marked  the  door  with  my  red  chalk  so's  I  could  easy 
know  it  again.  Step  right  inside  and  take  a  look !  " 
cried  Bandy-legs,  as  he  led  the  way  through  the 
open  door  of  the  car. 

In  another  minute  the  five  boys  were  staring 
around  them.  There  seemed  some  reason  for  con- 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  37 

sternation;  because,  instead  of  their  eyes  falling 
upon  the  precious  motorcycles  in  their  crates,  as  de- 
scribed so  glowingly  by  Bandy-legs,  they  found 
themselves  looking  only  upon  the  interior  of  an 
empty  car  1 


CHAPTER   III. 

READY  FOE  BUSINESS. 

"  THEY'VE  hooked  our  machines ! "  cried  Steve 
Dowdy,  angrily. 

"Oh,  thunder!  what's  this  mean?"  exclaimed  the 
amazed  Bandy-legs,  as  he  stared  around  at  the 
empty  car  in  dismay,  and  then  rubbed  his  eyes,  as 
though  he  fancied  he  must  be  dreaming. 

"  They  woudn't  be  so  m-m-mean  as  to  d-d-do  that, 
would  they,  M-m-max?"  queried  Toby,  who  also 
looked  faint  at  the  terrible  prospect  of  losing  their 
precious  motorcycles  before  they  had  even  feasted 
their  eyes  upon  the  machines. 

"  Mean ! "  echoed  testy  Steve,  quickly  and  fero- 
ciously; "I  wouldn't  put  anything  past  that  Ted 
Shafter.  If  he  had  the  chance  he'd  drop  the  whole 
five  into  the  Evergreen  River  and  let  'em  go  to  the 
bottom  kerplunk ! " 

"Max,  tell  us  what  you  think,  please?"  asked 
Bandy-legs,  pleadingly. 

"Why,  it's  as  plain  as  anything,"  replied  the 
other,  who  was  even  half  smiling  at  the  alarm  some 
of  the  boys  exhibited;  "they've  been  taken  from 
She  car  since  you  were  here,  Bandy-legs.  And  in- 

38 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  39 

stead  of  Ted  and  his  fellows  doing  the  job,  the 
chances  are  some  of  the  freight  handlers  here  have 
emptied  the  car,  so  it  could  be  hitched  on  to  the 
first  train  going  to  the  city.  Fact  is,  fellows,  I 
think  I  had  a  squint  at  the  crates  inside  the  freight 
house  as  we  passed  the  door  right  now." 

"  Come  on ! "  shouted  Steve,  as  he  turned  like 
lightning  and  made  a  break  for  the  open  door  in 
question. 

A  minute  later  and  they  were  standing  alongside 
five  crates  that  could  be  seen  held  the  long-looked- 
for  motorcycles. 

Steve  began  fumbling  at  once  with  one  crate,  as 
though  he  could  not  hold  his  impatience  to  handle 
the  contents  in  check. 

"  Wait  up,  Steve,"  laughed  Max.  "  Nothing  doing 
here,  you  know.  First  thing  is  to  hunt  up  Tom 
Snooks  and  hire  his  two  teams  to  carry  these  things 
to  our  back  yard,  where  we  can  get  busy  opening 
the  crates." 

"  Right  you  are,  Max,  and  I'll  run  out  and  find 
him,  if  you  say  so,"  Steve  went  on  to  remark,  al- 
ways ready  to  do  anything  he  was  told. 

"  I  saw  him  around  the  corner  of  the  building ; 
so  skip  along  with  you,"  Max  remarked. 

"  Be  q-q-q-q — !  "  Toby  started  to  call  out. 

"  Quick — I  will,  sure,"  the  other  replied  over  his 
shoulder,  as  if  to  help  Toby  out  of  his  trouble  that 
was  threatening  to  swamp  the  poor  fellow. 

"  Looky,  boys,  that  must  be  the  three  other  ma- 


40  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

chines  over  yonder,"  remarked  Owen,  pointing  as  lie 
spoke. 

Naturally  the  four  boys  stepped  over  to  take  a 
look.  And  as  they  were  bending  down  to  make  sure 
that  the  tags  read,  "  Mr.  Theodore  Shafter,"  a 
harsh  voice  just  behind  remarked : 

"  Just  you  fellers  get  up  and  dust  out  of  that, 
now !  Beckon  you'd  like  to  rip  a  tire,  or  do  some- 
thin'  mean  like  that,  wouldn't  yuh,  now?  Huh! 
thought  you'd  be  the  only  crowd  around  Carson  to 
own  motorcycles,  didn't  yuh?  Looks  like  you  ain't 
the  on'y  pebbles  on  the  beach  now,  don't  it,  hey? 
"We  knowed  how  to  rake  up  the  spondulicks  as  well 
as  you  did.  Ginseng  pays  right  smart,  nigh  as  well 
as  pearls,  when  yuh  knows  where  to  hunt  for  it. 
Now  clear  out,  an'  keep  your  measly  fingers  off'n 
our  machines,  d'ye  hear?  " 

Of  course  it  was  Ted  Shafter,  and  his  two  shad- 
ows, Amiel  and  Shack,  were  along  with  him;  both 
grinning  as  though  they  were  delighted  to  hear  their 
burly  leader  express  himself  in  this  taunting  and 
insulting  way. 

Max  only  smiled  as  he  answered  the  other. 

"  We  were  only  looking  at  your  crated  machines, 
Ted.  You  sure  have  sprung  a  big  surprise  on  all 
of  us,  because  up  to  now  we  never  dreamed  what 
you  were  doing.  If  you  did  earn  all  that  money 
digging  ginseng,  it  does  you  credit." 

"  Huh,  what  business  is  it  of  yours,  Max  Hastings, 
where  we  got  the  money?"  growled  the  other,  sus- 


THE  RIVATjS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  dl 

piciously;  although  Max  was  not  conscious  of  hav- 
ing hinted  that  there  could  be  anything  wrong  in 
the  way  the  means  for  purchasing  the  three  ex- 
pensive machines  had  been  obtained. 

"  Say,  Ted,  that  Steve  Dowdy  must  'a'  gone  tuh 
get  Tom  Snooks,  the  expressman,"  _omarked  Shack, 
just  then ;  at  which  the  leader  grinned  widely. 

"  They'll  have  to  wait  till  we  gets  done  with 
Snooks,  then,"  he  observed,  with  a  sneer ;  "  'cause  I 
made  a  bargain  with  him  to  take  these  things  out 
right  off;  and  here  he  comes  now  with  his  helper. 
Stand  aside  for  your  betters,  Max  Hastings,  and 
don't  bother  us,  d'ye  hear? " 

He  bustled  up  to  Max  as  he  spoke,  and  it  looked 
as  though  he  meant  to  put  out  a  hand  to  hasten 
the  change  of  base  he  demanded.  Max  looked  him 
coolly  in  the  eye,  and  did  not  move  an  inch.  It  was 
as  though  he  dared  the  bully  to  as  much  as  lay  a 
finger  on  him.  And  after  glaring  at  him  for  a 
dozen  seconds  Ted  simply  shrugged  his  shoulders, 
and  with  a  grunt  turned  to  the  expressman. 

"  There  are  others  besides  Tom  Snooks,  and  per- 
haps we  may  not  care  to  wait  till  you  get  through 
with  him,  Ted,"  remarked  Max,  quietly,  as  he  walked 
toward  the  door  of  the  freight  house. 

"  Ye'll  find  Larry  Hazen  out  there,  Max ! "  called 
Tom  Snooks;  "he's  me  own  cousin,  an'  it'll  be  all 
in  the  fambly,  you  see.  Give  him  a  chanct  to 
carry  home  yer  stuff.  He'll  do  it  to  the  king's  taste, 
belave  me." 


42  THE  RIVALS  OF  TZE  TRAIL. 

"  Shut  up,  Tom ! "  Ted  was  heard  to  growl. 

Larry  was  found  and  he  soon  set  to  work,  with 
the  assistance  of  the  willing  lads.  The  motorcycles 
were  loaded  on  two  separate  trucks,  being  exceed- 
ingly heavy  in  themselves.  Long  before  the  last  of 
the  five  was  thus  secured,  Ted  and  his  cronies  had 
gone  away  with  their  possessions.  And  the  last 
look  they  gave  the  Outing  Boys  was  one  of  sneering 
triumph. 

Max  realized  that  this  singular  happening  that 
gave  the  Shafter  crowd  machines  similar  to  their 
own  was  bound  to  bring  about  more  or  less  exciting 
situations  in  the  near  future.  But  then  Max  was 
not  the  one  to  allow  himself  to  fall  into  a  condition 
where  he  would  borrow  trouble.  Time  enough  to 
look  out  for  it  when  it  came  along;  though  they 
might  be  on  their  guard  all  the  same,  so  as  not  to 
be  caught  unawares  and  napping. 

This  procession  passing  through  the  streets  of 
quiet  Carson,  accompanied  by  five  happy-faced  boys, 
attracted  considerable  attention.  Many  people 
knew  all  about  the  designs  of  Max  and  his  chums. 
They  had  heard  the  exciting  story  of  how  the  pearls 
were  found  up  on  the  Big  Sunflower  Eiver,  and 
knew  that  Mr.  Hastings  had  sold  a  couple  of  them 
for  a  large  sum,  just  how  much  no  one  seemed  to 
be  able  to  say. 

And  it  was  also  pretty  generally  understood  that 
the  Outing  Boys  expected  to  buy  modern  motor- 
cycles with  a  part  of  the  proceeds  of  their  splendid 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  43 

find ;  so  that  the  news  passed  quickly  along  that  the 
machines  had  arrived,  and  in  a  short  time  they 
could  expect  to  hear  of  all  sorts  of  accidents. 

Once  the  crates  were  landed  in  the  back  yard 
at  the  Hastings  home,  and  the  carters  paid  for 
their  trouble,  Max  and  Owen  brought  out  hammers, 
hatchets  and  all  sorts  of  tools  calculated  to  expedite 
the  tearing  apart  of  the  coverings. 

"  Be  mighty  careful,  boys,"  cautioned  Max,  fear- 
ing least  the  impulsive  Steve,  in  his  eagerness  to 
get  at  the  interior  of  the  crate  he  was  working  on, 
might  injure  the  contents  of  the  heavy  framework. 
"  Take  it  easy,  everybody.  "We've  got  the  rest  of 
the  day  ahead  of  us,  so  there's  no  hurry.  If  you 
happen  to  do  any  damage  you'll  just  have  to  watch 
the  rest  of  us  have  a  grand  time,  while  you're  wait- 
ing for  the  new  part  to  come  along." 

"  Yes,"  grunted  Toby,  who  was  working  almost  as 
fast  as  Steve,  yet  would  not  admit  the  fact,  "h-h- 
haste  m-m-makes  w-w-waste,  they  say." 

"  Well,"  remarked  Steve,  positively,  "  no  danger 
of  your  ever  getting  in  trouble  that  way,  with  your 
talk,  Toby,  I  guess." 

"  Look  at  Max,  he's  got  his  done  first  after  all ! " 
burst  out  Bandy-legs. 

"  Just  because  he  knew  how  to  go  at  it  and  didn't 
foozle,  like  the  rest  of  us,"  laughed  Owen,  good- 
naturedly. 

However,  in  a  very  short  time  they  had  all  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  crates  removed,  and  stood  back 


44  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

to  admire  the  bright  colors  of  the  five  motorcycles, 
brand-new  from  the  factory,  and  seeming  to  just 
invite  the  proud  owners  to  hasten  matters,  so  they 
could  be  off  upon  their  first  little  ride. 

There  was  no  end  of  things  to  be  done,  though, 
before  this  pleasant  task  could  be  attended  to. 
Max  had  to  answer  hosts  of  anxious  questions,  and 
pass  around,  lending  assistance  to  his  distressed 
chums  when  they  found  themselves  unable  to  just 
comprehend  how  each  nut  and  bolt  had  to  be  put 
into  place. 

Of  course  the  machines  had  been  shipped  in  as 
complete  condition  as  possible,  but  there  were  many 
things  that  required  looking  after  before  they  could 
be  pronounced  in  working  order. 

It  was  nearly  half-past  eleven  before  the  entire 
five  had  been  completely  set  up,  and  the  boys  could 
not  keep  from  expressing  their  ardent  admiration 
as  they  walked  up  and  down  the  line,  comparing 
notes. 

"  Are  we  certain  that  every  fellow  has  found  his 
right  machine  f  "  asked  Max. 

"  They  were  all  marked  with  our  numbers,  just 
as  we  gave  them  in,"  replied  Owen. 

"  One  thing  sure,"  remarked  Steve,  "  Toby  knows 
his,  all  right.  It'd  give  any  of  the  rest  of  us  a 
cramp  in  the  legs  if  we  tried  to  double  up  on  that 
short-cranked  camel-back  machine." 

"  E-r-rats !  You're  j-j-just  envious  of  my  red  one, 
that's  all ! "  Toby  sent  back  at  the  scoffer ;  for  he 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  45 

was  so  delighted  to  find  that  his  short  shift  had 
been  provided  for  by  the  makers  of  the  motorcycles, 
that  he  had  been  in  the  saddle  as  many  as  a  dozen 
times  already. 

"  Now,  what  say,  shall  we  get  out  the  gasoline 
and  see  how  they  work?  "  asked  Steve  Dowdy. 

They  had  all  been  industriously  studying  up  on 
the  subject  ever  since  coming  back  from  their  suc- 
cessful pearl  hunt;  and  each  believed  that  theo- 
retically he  had  everything  connected  with  a  modern 
motorcycle  down  to  a  fine  point.  Just  how  it  would 
come  out  in  actual  practice  was  another  thing.  No 
doubt  they  must  go  through  the  troubles  that  beset 
all  new  riders,  and  learn  by  way  of  experience  how 
to  manage. 

"  Might  as  well,  before  we  go  home  for  lunch," 
Bandy-legs  went  on.  "  So  far  as  I'm  concerned,  I 
don't  feel  as  if  I  could  eat  one  single  bite  though, 
I'm  that  happy  and  excited ! " 

"  Toby's  going  to  stay  with  us  and  have  a  snack," 
remarked  Max,  quietly,  and  at  this  the  other  flashed 
him  a  look  full  of  thanks. 

Toby  Jucklin  lived  with  an  old  uncle,  who  was 
looked  upon  as  a  sort  of  stingy  miser  and  begrudged 
the  boy  any  pleasure.  As  yet  Nathan  Jucklin  had 
not  been  told  of  the  great  good  luck  that  had  be- 
fallen his  nephew  in  conjunction  with  the  other 
four  lads  of  Carson.  He  went  out  very  seldom,  and 
had  little  communication  with  the  rest  of  the  com- 
munity. 


46  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

Toby  was  really  afraid  of  what  his  crusty  old 
uncle  would  say  and  do  when  he  found  the  nerve 
to  bring  his  splendid  new  motorcycle  home.  He 
actually  feared  lest  in  his  anger  at  having  so  much 
good  money  "  foolishly  squandered,"  as  he  would 
term  it,  Nathan  might  damage  the  wheel  in  some 
way,  or  try  and  sell  it;  as  he  might  claim  he  had 
a  right  to  do,  being  the  guardian  of  the  boy. 

And  secretly  Toby  was  resolved  to  coax  Max  to 
allow  him  to  keep  the  machine  at  his  house  until 
he  knew  how  things  were  going  at  home. 

The  gasoline  being  brought,  and  some  placed 
carefully  in  the  tanks  made  to  hold  the  same,  Max, 
warning  his  chums  at  the  time  never  under  any  cir- 
cumstances to  be  the  least  bit  lax  in  keeping  fire 
away  from  the  magazines,  one  of  the  motors  was 
started,  the  metal  rest  allowing  the  rear  wheel  to 
revolve  unrestricted. 

As  the  motor  began  to  pop  away  and  then  the 
wheel  to  spin  in  a  bewildering  fashion,  the  boys 
stood  there  in  a  circle,  almost  holding  their  very 
breaths  in  happiness. 

Doubtless  each  fellow  mentally  pictured  himself 
flying  along  over  dusty  roads  and  covering  the 
miles  in  rapid  order,  so  that  the  horses  that  were 
passed  almost  seemed  to  be  standing  still. 

In  turn,  then,  each  machine  was  tested  out  and 
all  found  to  work  in  a  way  that  quite  won  the  hearts 
of  their  proud  owners. 

"  This  afternoon,  then,  we'll  have  our  first  lessons," 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  47 

announced  Max,  who,  as  the  leader  of  the  Outing 
Boys,  was  given  authority  to  arrange  such  things 
as  were  considered  really  necessary.  And  so  heart- 
ily was  Max  liked  by  his  mates,  and  in  such  respect 
was  his  opinion  held,  that  seldom  was  there  the 
least  sign  of  anything  like  rebellion  in  the  camp. 

"  Hull,  thought  I'd  be  able  to  run  over  home  on 
my  new  mount  this  noon  and  surprise  the  natives !  " 
grumbled  Steve ;  "  but  I  reckon  you're  right,  Max. 
I  don't  want  to  be  in  too  rushing  a  hurry,  and  get 
smashed  up  in  the  start.  But  I'm  going  to  ride 
home  to  my  supper  on  it,  you  understand  ?  " 

"  No  reason  you  shouldn't,  if  all's  well,"  remarked 
Max,  laughingly.  "  Come,  get  a  move  on  you, 
Bandy-legs.  Did  you  bring  your  old  wheel  along!  " 

"  Wheel  ?  "  snorted  the  other,  indignantly ;  "  me 
ride  a  common  old  bike  after  this  ?  Why,  I  wouldn't 
be  caught  dead  on  one.  Come  along,  Steve,  and 
we'll  be  back  in  two  shakes  of  a  lamb's  tail  to  try 
our  first  little  ride.  Whoopee!  I  could  fly,  I  feel 
so  airy-like.  Me  for  grub  and  back  again." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TOBY  CONFIDES  IN  MAX. 

WHEN  once  more  the  five  boys  clustered  around 
their  new  motorcycles,  Max,  who  had  once  ridden 
such  an  up-to-date  wheel  when  visiting  a  relative  in 
the  city,  began  to  give  his  chums  some  further  in- 
structions concerning  the  working  of  the  various 
parts,  particularly  how  the  machine  was  to  be 
started,  and  also  several  ways  in  which  it  could  be 
brought  to  a  stop. 

They  listened  attentively  and,  finally,  an  hour  or 
so  later,  Owen  started  off  to  take  his  first  little  spin, 
Max  having  already  gone  up  and  down  the  road  in 
front  of  the  house  to  show  them  how  easy  it  was, 
after  they  had  the  secret  down  to  a  science. 

All  of  them  watched  as  Owen  went  at  a  slow 
pace  and  gradually  ventured  to  in^  ease  the  same 
after  coming  around  the  block  twice.  In  turn  Steve, 
Bandy-legs  and  Toby  made  the  trail ;  and,  strange 
to  say,  without  any  accident  worth  mentioning.  All 
of  which  spoke  well  for  the  instructions  given  them 
by  Max  and  their  care  in  remembering  how  to  do 
the  various  things  connected  with  operating  the 
machines,  especially  the  starting  and  stopping, 

48 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  49 

which,  after  all,  were  the  more  essential  points  for 
new  beginners  to  know. 

"Ain't  it  just  bully,  though? "  cried  Steve,  as  he 
came  back  from  his  trial  spin  and  fell  into  the 
arms  of  Max  as  he  tried  to  spring  from  his  saddle 
too  quickly. 

"Don't  try  that  way  again,  or  else  you'll  have 
the  heavy  machine  falling  on  top  of  you,"  Max 
warned  him;  secretly  he  had  more  fear  concerning 
Steve  than  in  connection  with  any  of  the  others, 
for  he  knew  how  the  other  always  wanted  to  act 
from  impulse,  and  such  a  hasty  nature  often  brings 
trouble  down  upon  his  own  head. 

Of  course,  it  is  necessary  when  running  so  com- 
plicated a  piece  of  machinery  as  a  motorcycle  to 
be  always  ready  to  meet  an  emergency;  but  that 
does  not  mean  that  one  must  needs  be  nervous  and 
quick  to  make  sudden  moves. 

"Are  we  getting  on  as  well  as  you  thought, 
Max?"  asked  Owen. 

"  Much  better,"  was  the  ready  reply.  "  Fact  is, 
fellows,  if  I  didn't  know  to  the  contrary,  I'd  be 
likely  to  believe  every  one  of  you'd  been  practicing 
in  secret  somewhere  and  was  springing  a  little  sur- 
prise on  me  right  now." 

"  Say,  it's  nice  of  you  to  talk  like  that,  Max,"  de- 
clared Steve,  flushing  with  gratification ;  for  it  was 
not  always  that  he  could  expect  to  hear  himself  com- 
plimented by  such  a  cautious  chap  as  the  leader, 


50  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

because  he  was  often  in  the  habit  of  making  mis- 
takes. 

"  We're  getting  there  right  fast,"  declared  Bandy- 
legs  ;  "  how  long  do  you  reckon  it'll  be,  Max,  before 
we  can  take  a  long  hike  across  country!" 

"  Why,  to-morrow,  if  the  weather  says  so,"  an- 
swered the  other.  "  You  fellows  have  gone  on  so 
well  and  paid  attention  to  all  you've  been  told,  that 
there's  nothing  to  hinder  our  making  a  first  trial 
run  to-morrow." 

"  Bully  for  that !  "  burst  out  Steve,  exultantly. 

"  Ain't  it  great,  though,  to  think  we've  all  been 
around  a  lot  of  times,  and  had  things  work  so 
smooth,"  Bandy-legs  remarked,  proudly.  "  And  so 
many  people  kept  saying  nasty  things  about  what 
was  going  to  happen  to  us  right  away." 

"  Why,  even  my  dad  said  he  would  never  know 
a  minute's  peace  from  now  on,  with  his  only  son  and 
heir  spinning  around  the  blessed  country  on  a  ma- 
chine that  could  make  more'n  a  mile  a  minute." 

"  Huh,  d-d-don't  see's  anybody  could  b-b-blame 
him,"  snapped  Toby,  seeing  a  good  chance  to  get 
one  back  at  his  tormentor. 

"  But  never  mind,"  Steve  went  on,  failing  to  get 
his  dander  up  at  this  thrust,  as  might  have  been 
expected  of  his  quick  temper ;  "  I'm  going  to  fool 
'em  all  right.  You  jrst  wait  and  see  how  careful 
Little  Steve  will  be.  P'r'aps  I'll  prove  the  last  of 
the  bunch  to  have  an  accident,  eh,  Max?  " 

"  You  never  can  tell,"  was  the  non-committal  re- 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  51 

sponse  of  the  one  addressed;  who  certainly  hoped 
from  the  depths  of  his  heart  that  none  of  them 
would  speedily  fall  on  evil  days  and  have  a  leg  or 
arm  broken. 

They  continued  to  take  trial  runs  as  the  after- 
noon drew  on  apace,  extending  the  circuit  as  ex- 
perience gave  them  more  confidence  in  their  powers 
to  control  the  little  but  powerful  giant  given  in  their 
charge. 

"Wonder  how  the  other  fellers  are  getting  on?" 
Bandy-legs  remarked,  after  he  had  just  returned 
from  going  a  full  mile  around,  from  one  road  to 
another,  with  a  lot  of  people  stopping  to  watch  his 
swift  passage,  some  of  the  older  ones  to  wag  their 
heads,  as  though  prophesying  all  manner  of  bad 
things,  and  the  young  lads  to  sigh  dismally,  as  they 
wished  Dame  Fortune  would  be  as  kind  to  them 
later  on  as  she  seemed  to  have  been  to  the  five  Out- 
ing Boys. 

"  That's  an  easy  one,"  observed  Owen,  smiling. 

"Can  you  guess  it?"  demanded  Steve. 

"Listen!" 

Owen  held  up  his  hand  as  he  uttered  this  last 
word,  and  immediately  the  others  became  conscious 
of  a  confused  rattling  sound,  as  though  several 
quick-firing  guns  were  pouring  their  hot  fire  upon 
an  assaulting  enemy. 

"Wow,  that's  them,  as  sure  as  shooting!"  cried 
Bandy-legs,  excited.  "  They've  got  on  to  the  stuff 

16 


52  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

all  right,  and  been  off  on  a  long  run  this  very  after- 
noon, don't  you  forget  it ! " 

Steve  turned  a  reproachful  eye  on  the  leader. 

"  Oh,  Max,  how  could  you  let  them  get  the  bulge 
on  us  that  way?  "  he  said,  sadly.  "  They'll  never 
get  over  crowing  about  it,  you  mark  me." 

"  Let  them  crow  all  they  want  to,"  replied  the 
other,  sturdily.  "  I  believe  in  going  about  my  own 
business  and  paying  no  attention  to  others,  who 
would  only  laugh  themselves  sick  to  see  some  ac- 
cident get  me.  Perhaps  they  may  have  got  the 
thing  down  pat ;  and,  again,  you  may  hear  of  one 
of  Ted's  crowd  taking  a  header  into  some  old  ditch 
that  is  full  of  sour  water.  Queerer  things  have 
happened." 

"  But  they're  going  to  pass  this  place  just  to  give 
us  the  laugh,  don't  you  know ;  and  it  galls  me  like 
fun  to  see  the  ugly  grin  that  will  come  on  Ted's 
face,"  the  impulsive  one  continued. 

"  There's  a  way  to  take  the  sting  out  of  their  in- 
tended act,"  declared  Max. 

"  Tell  us  quick,  then,  because  here  they  come,  one, 
two,  three,  strung  out  along  the  road  in  a  cloud  of 
dust  and  hitting  up  the  pace  like  all  get-out,"  Bandy- 
legs  remarked,  eagerly. 

"All  right,"  Max  went  on.  "When  Ted  gets 
about  opposite  us,  and  before  he  can  do  as  much  as 
shout  out  one  of  his  nasty  cutting  remarks,  every 
fellow  swing  his  hat,  and  give  him  a  cheer.  Take 
my  word  for  it;  he  won't  know  what  to  do.  It'll 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  53 

knock  the  stuffing  right  out  of  him.  And  give  the 
same  salute  as  the  others  fly  past.  They've  done 
mighty  well,  and  it  never  pays  to  think  too  little  of 
your  enemy.  Eeady,  now ! " 

None  of  the  other  four  were  given  a  chance  to 
say  what  they  thought  of  this  remarkable  plan,  on 
the  part  of  their  leader,  for  drawing  the  venom  from 
a  f  oeman's  sting.  Ted,  on  his  new  motorcycle,  was 
rushing  down  toward  them.  The  hulking  bully  was 
squatted  in  his  saddle,  and  looked  like  a  big  toad. 
He  was  watching  them  out  of  the  corner  of  his  eye 
as  he  steered  along  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  Pos- 
sibly Ted  judged  others  from  his  own  way  of  doing 
things  and  had  a  little  suspicion  that  one  of  these 
others  might  attempt  to  throw  him,  regardless  of 
consequences. 

Suddenly  Max  whipped  off  his  hat  with  a  cheer, 
and  every  one  of  his  four  comrades  followed  suit, 
being  virtually  carried  off  their  feet  by  this  strange 
suggestion  Max  had  sprung  upon  them.  Perhaps 
Steve  and  Bandy-legs  hardly  liked  it  at  all,  but  they 
fell  in  with  the  rest. 

Ted  actually  flinched,  as  though  he  thought  they 
were  about  to  throw  a  shower  of  stones  at  him.  He 
came  near  losing  his  grip,  but  managed  to  recover 
and  continued  racing  along  the  road  amid  a  rattling 
volley  from  his  exhaust. 

But  he  never  as  much  as  opened  his  mouth  to  say 
a  single  word.  For  the  moment  the  daring  and  scur- 


54  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

rilous  tongue  of  the  town  bully  was  mute.  Max 
had  drawn  his  fangs,  as  it  were,  for  the  time  being. 

And  so  it  was  when  first  Shack  Beggs  and  then 
Amiel  Toots  swept  past ;  each  being  greeted  with  a 
generous  cheer  that  ought  to  have  made  them  less 
bitter  toward  the  Outing  Boys.  But  only  scowls  an- 
swered the  salute.  Neither  Shack  nor  Amiel  could 
appreciate  the  fine  sentiment  that  had  caused  Max  to 
receive  them  in  this  fashion,  giving  them  due  credit 
for  having  so  readily  mastered  the  secret  of  riding 
their  new  machines  successfully. 

"  That's  what  we  get  for  going  more'n  halfway 
to  meet  'em,"  grumbled  Steve,  after  the  last  of  the 
trio  had  vanished  down  the  pike  in  a  cloud  of  dust. 

"  Well,  it  didn't  hurt  us  any,  and  must  have  sur- 
prised Ted  more'n  a  little,"  remarked  Max.  "  Long 
ago  I  made  up  my  mind  that  the  best  way  to  deal 
with  a  fellow  of  his  stamp  was  to  just  puzzle  him ! 
He  looks  to  be  met  with  abuse,  and  sometimes  hard 
knocks.  It's  his  own  kind,  you  know.  Now,  when 
you  can  mix  him  up,  and  get  him  to  guessing,  you 
undermine  his  regular  plans  of  campaign." 

"Hey,  what  you  been  reading  lately,  Max?"  de- 
manded Bandy-legs. 

"  I  know,"  burst  out  Toby,  eagerly,  and  actually 
forgetting  to  stammer  a  particle.  "  It's  *  The  Life 
of  Napoleon.'  And  he's  taking  pattern  from  the 
great  commander,  too,  I  tell  you." 

"Listen  to  Toby,  would  you!"  exclaimed  Steve; 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  55 

"  he  got  all  that  off  with  never  a  slip.  That's  the 
first  good  effect  of  owning  a  motorcycle,  boys." 

At  that  there  was  a  general  laugh,  even  Toby  tak- 
ing part. 

"  If  it's  going  to  cure  Toby  of  stuttering,"  ob- 
served Owen,  "  there's  hope  for  the  rest  of  the 
crowd.  Every  fellow  just  think  of  his  weakest  point 
and  make  up  his  mind  he's  going  in  for  a  remedy." 

"  Must  be  a  sort  of  what  they  call  heroic  treat- 
ment," declared  Max,  "  seeing  that  it's  either  kill 
or  cure!  But  are  you  going  home  now,  Steve  and 
Bandy-legs  ? "  since  the  two  were  making  prepara- 
tions for  mounting  again,  and  the  sun  was  sinking 
low  in  the  western  sky. 

"  We've  had  a  great  day,  Max,  believe  me,"  re- 
marked Steve. 

"  Biggest  in  all  my  life,"  echoed  Bandy-legs. 
"  Hope  now  I  don't  go  and  make  a  fool  of  myself, 
and  take  a  header  just  when  I  get  in  sight  of  home. 
Oh!  I'll  go  slow  enough,  Max,  never  fear;  and  I 
reckon  it'll  be  all  right.  Only  the  thing  is  new  to 
me  yet,  and  a  feller  might  get  easy  rattled,  if  he 
thought  the  dad  and  mom  and  Sis  were  all  out 
watching  him  come  tooting  along  the  road  so 
grand." 

"  Think  I'll  take  the  little  run  with  you,  Bandy- 
legs,"  remarked  Owen,  trying  not  to  appear  con- 
scious that  his  companions  were  winking  at  one  an- 
other; for  his  liking  toward  Sis  Griffin  was  well 
known  among  the  boys  and  girls  of  Carson — Owen 


56  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

always  took  the  lively  little  Griffin  girl  to  barn 
dances,  and  he  was  her  company  to  winter  singing 
school,  as  well  as  on  skating  and  sleighing  parties. 

"  Sure,  misery  likes  company,"  remarked  the 
brother  of  Sis,  with  a  grin ;  "  if  I  go  into  a  ditch 
you'll  be  handy  to  yank  me  out.  So-long,  Max,  I'll 
be  around  the  first  thing  to-morrow,  with  a  little 
pack  of  grub  laid  up  against  our  first  long  run." 

The  three  of  them  went  down  the  road  in  a  rather 
sedate  manner,  leaving  Max  and  Toby  together. 
The  former  turned  toward  the  sturdy,  stuttering 
lad. 

"  I  rather  guess  that  you  hate  to  take  your  ma- 
chine home  with  you,  eh,  Toby?  "  he  remarked,  with 
a  smile  that  always  won  him  friends,  it  was  so 
wholesome. 

Toby  nodded  his  head  in  the  affirmative.  He 
seemed  to  be  struggling  with  some  obstacle  in  his 
throat  that  threatened  to  choke  him,  and  finally 
managed  to  say: 

"Afraid  he  might  d-d-damage  it,  you  s-s-see, 
M-m-max.  Ain't  told  him  a  s-s-single  thing  about 
the  p-p-pearls,  or  the  buying  of  the  wheel.  You 
k-k-know  how  mean  old  Uncle  Nathan  is.  It'd  b-b- 
break  my  heart  if  anything  h-h-happened  to  it  be- 
fore I  even  had  one  g-g-good  spin." 

"  All  right,  I  wouldn't  take  chances,  then,  Toby," 
declared  Max.  "  You  just  leave  it  here  as  long  as  you 
want.  Fortunately,  when  we  fixed  up  a  place  in  the 
barn  to  keep  the  machines,  as  father  told  me  I 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  57 

might,  we  made  it  plenty  big  enough  for  three.  So 
trundle  it  along,  Toby,  and  it's  welcome  to  stay  as 
long  as  you  please.  Yes,  I  know  your  Uncle  Nathan 
pretty  well ;  and  I  wouldn't  put  it  past  him  to  try 
and  sell  the  machine.  Money  is  what  he  worships. 
My  father  says  he's  a  rich  man,  and  yet  see  how 
he  lives  and  how  he  hates  to  spend  a  single  cent 
on  you  that  he  can  help.  I've  got  no  use  for  the 
old  miser." 

"But,  Max,"  said  Toby,  speaking  evenly  once 
more,  in  a  way  that  surprised  his  companion,  who 
really  wondered  if  a  change  was  coming  about  in 
Toby's  affliction,  so  that  he  could  now  and  then  talk 
without  stuttering  at  all.  "  I've  never  so  much  as 
whispered  to  anybody  before ;  but  between  you  and 
me  I  think  there's  something  about  Uncle  Nathan 
that  he  don't  want  me  to  know." 

"  Why,  what  do  you  mean,  Toby ;  do  you  suspect 
that  he's  got  a  good  reason  for  letting  you  stay  with 
him,  when  he's  threatened  ever  so  many  times  to 
make  you  get  out  and  shift  for  yourself?  " 

"  That's  just  it,"  said  Toby,  in  a  mysterious,  awe- 
struck tone.  "  I  saw  a  paper  one  day  sticking  out 
of  his  desk  and  I  read  part  of  it.  Seemed  to  me 
like  a  copy  of  a  will,  and  it  was  signed  Ambrose 
Jucklin,  which  was  my  father's  name.  And,  Max, 
it  went  on  to  say  something  about  a  whole  lot  of 
property  that  he  left  to  his  only  son,  Tobias.  I 
never  read  any  further,  because  I  heard  Uncle  shut 
the  front  door;  but  ever  since  I've  been  thinMng, 


58  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

always  thinking,  that  perhaps  he's  not  doing  the 
right  thing  by  me.  Oh,  I  wish  I  knew,  I  wish  I 
knew !  I'd  like  to  live  like  other  boys  and  have  some 
one  to  care  for  me !  But  he'd  never  own  up,  Max ; 
nothing  could  make  Uncle  Nathan  say  there  was 
anything  coming  to  me.  Shall  I  p-p-push  my  m-m- 
machine  right  along  in  the  b-b-barn?" 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  BANDY-LEGS. 

"  DON'T  be  in  a  hurry,  Toby,"  Max  went  on,  still 
standing  there  outside  of  the  open  door  of  the  Hast- 
ings barn;  "plenty  of  time,  and  to  spare,  before 
you  run  over  home.  I  want  to  hear  a  little  more 
about  this  affair  of  your  Uncle  Nathan.  You  don't 
mind  answering  a  few  questions,  I  hope?  " 

"  N-n-not  at  all,  M-m-max,"  replied  the  other,  his 
face  lighting  up  with  faith. 

The  poor  fellow  had  kept  his  secret  to  himself. 
All  these  years  when  he  was  suffering  at  the  hands 
of  his  miserly  old  uncle,  Toby  would  not  tell  a  liv- 
ing soul  what  he  went  through  with.  Many  times 
had  he  been  actually  hungry,  yet  he  was  too  proud 
to  betray  the  fact  to  any  of  his  playmates,  who 
were  so  well  fed. 

And  now  that  something  had  drawn  him  to  be- 
stow his  confidence  in  Max,  he  felt  just  like  letting 
down  the  bars,  once  and  for  all. 

"  You  were  not  born  here,  Toby,  but  your  uncle 
lived  here  at  the  time  he  went  away  and  brought 
you  back  a  small  boy;  is  that  right?"  Max  con- 
tinued, shrewdly. 

59 


60  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

"Yep,"  replied  the  other,  shortly;  because  he 
knew  the  stuttering  habit  had  seized  him  again,  and 
he  must  mince  his  words. 

"  Do  you  know  what  place  you  came  from!  "  Max 
went  on. 

"A  big  city — C-c-cincinnati,"  came  the  ready 
reply. 

"Oh,  is  that  so?  I've  been  there  more'n  a  few 
times,  Toby.  About  how  old  were  you  when  your 
father  died,  and  left  you  in  charge  of  Uncle 
Nathan?" 

Toby  seemed  to  reflect. 

"N-n-nearly  five,"  he  finally  answered. 

"  H'm,  old  enough  to  remember  something  about 
the  past,  I'd  imagine,  Toby.  Think  now,  do  you 
remember  your  father,  and  how  you  lived  in  Cin- 
cinnati ? " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  remember  him  quite  well ! "  replied 
Toby,  again  speaking  plainly;  "I  often  think  of 
him  when  I'm  trying  to  go  to  sleep,  hungry  enough 
at  that,  on  my  little  cot  up  in  the  attic.  And,  Max, 
we  must  have  had  lots  of  money,  too,  because  I  had 
all  I  wanted  to  eat.  There  was  a  servant,  too,  that 
cried  when  Uncle  took  me  away.  I  can  see  her  face 
right  now,  as  she  hugged  me." 

"  That  sounds  good,  Toby.  Then  this  servant  was 
a  woman;  now,  have  you  ever  been  able  to  remem- 
ber her  name  ?  "  Max  went  on  asking,  having  a  point 
in  view. 

"  Yes,  it  was  Maggie !    Sometimes  in  my  dreams 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  61 

I  am  with  her  again.  Oh,  I  shall  never  forget  her 
good,  kind  face,  never,  Max !  "  and  the  tears  actually 
shone  in  Toby's  eyes  as  he  said  this,  accompanied 
with  a  sigh,  as  if  thinking  that  at  least  he  could 
never  hope  to  see  her  in  the  flesh  again. 

"  Well,  now,  I'd  call  this  bully  good  luck.  You're 
telling  me  heaps,  Toby ;  and  I  want  you  to  know  that 
the  thing  begins  to  look  mighty  encouraging  right 
now.  Try  once  more  and  think  if  you  can  remem- 
ber anything  about  the  name  of  the  street  your 
father  lived  on?  " 

"  It  gets  a  1-1-little  hazy  when  I  try  to  think  of 
t-t-that,"  responded  the  other,  as  he  put  his  hand 
up  to  his  head  in  a  meditative  way ;  "  but  I  remem- 
ber that  it  was  up  on  a  hill,  Max;  and  the  cars  ran 
past  our  door,  too.  I  can  hear  them  t-t-thunder 
along  often  as  I  lie  there,  trying  to  think." 

"Well,  Cincinnati  is  surrounded  by  hills,  just 
like  we  read  old  Rome  sat  on  her  seven  hills.  Sup- 
pose, now,  I  mention  a  few,  and  if  anyone  strikes 
you  as  familiar,  just  pull  me  up?  How  does  that 
suit  you,  Toby?" 

"  I  t-t-think  I'd  know  the  sound  if  I  h-h-heard  it," 
replied  the  other,  eagerly. 

"  Well,  there's  Price  Hill — that  doesn't  strike  you 
at  all,  I  see ;  then  Clifton,  Mt.  Auburn,  College  Hill, 
Mt.  Harrison,  Avondale,  Mt.  Adams — none  of  then! 
makes  you  look  up  at  all,  do  they?  How  about 
Walnut  Hills,  Toby?  " 

"That's  it,  Max!"  exclaimed  the  other,  like  a 


62  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

flash;  "yes,  I  know  it  now — Walnut  Hills!  Oh, 
that  was  where  we  lived,  my  father,  Maggie  and 
me!" 

"  Fine  for  you,  Toby.  Now  you  are  sure  the  cars 
ran  past  the  door;  perhaps  when  you  shut  your 
eyes  and  think  real  hard  you  might  recognize  the 
name  of  the  street.  How  would  Gilbert  Avenue  do, 
for  a  starter?  " 

"  It  s-s-seems  to  me  I've  heard  that  name  b-b- 
before,"  Toby  answered,  slowly. 

"  Then  we  can  put  it  down  as  pretty  certain  that 
it  was  Gilbert  Avenue,"  chuckled  Max.  "Why, 
we're  making  the  biggest  kind  of  progress,  Toby. 
I  bet  you  a  smart  man  like  my  father  could  go  to 
old  Cincinnati  right  now,  with  that  much  informa- 
tion and  learn  all  about  your  folks." 

"  Oh,  d-d-do  you  mean  to  t-t-tell  your  father, 
M-m-maxf  " 

"  I  sure  do,"  came  the  firm  reply.  "  I  believe 
you're  being  badly  treated — that  your  father  left 
plenty  of  money  for  you  to  be  well  taken  care  of, 
and  that  this  miserly  old  uncle  of  yours  is  schem- 
ing in  some  way  to  get  hold  of  the  property;  or 
anyhow  squeeze  it  all  he  can,  up  to  the  time  you're 
of  age  and  he  just  has  to  hand  it  over  to  you." 

"  And  will  your  father  m-m-make  him  change  our 
way  of  living?'*  asked  Toby. 

"  You  just  wait  and  see  what  can  be  done.  Now, 
Toby,  let's  turn  again  to  what  you  saw  that  time 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  63 

peeping  out  of  his  desk.    You  believe  it  was  a  copy 
of  your  father's  will,  do  you!  " 

«  Y-y-yes." 

"  What  makes  you  call  it  a  copy,  Toby?  " 

"  B-b-because,  you  s-s-see,  it  was  in  Uncle  Na- 
than's handw-w-writing,"  Toby  replied,  promptly 
enough,  at  which  Max  smiled  broadly. 

"Why,  this  is  just  pie  for  me,  Toby,"  he  re- 
marked. "  I  can  see  the  finish  of  old  Uncle  Nathan 
and  his  schemes.  We  know  the  city  sure ;  we  know 
that  it  was  on  Walnut  Hills,  and  we  think  the  street 
was  Gilbert  Avenue.  Now,  a  will  would  be  on  rec- 
ord and  my  father  can  easily  find  out  what  it  pro- 
vides for.  He  will  hunt  up  the  lawyer,  too,  who 
drew  it  for  your  father.  You  see,  Uncle  Nathan 
keeps  to  himself,  and  nobody  has  ever  heard  a 
word  of  this.  He  must  have  copied  the  will,  so  as 
to  keep  it  fresh  in  his  mind.  Toby,  cheer  up, 
there's  a  better  day  coming  for  you,  old  fellow ! " 

Max  thrust  out  his  hand  and  gripped  that  of  his 
chum,  which  he  squeezed  with  all  the  vigor  of  his 
fresh  young  heart.  And  poor  Toby  smiled,  as  he 
winked  very  hard,  to  dry  up  the  briny  drops  that 
would  persist  in  showing  themselves,  much  to  his 
disgust;  since  he  took  it  to  be  babyish  for  a  boy 
of  his  years  to  cry. 

He  could  not  even  trust  himself  to  say  another 
word,  but  turning,  hastily,  rushed  away.  Max 
looked  after  him  with  more  affection  than  he  had 
ever  dreamed  he  possessed  for  Toby  Jucklin.  The 


64  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

wretched  life  which  the  other  was  living,  in  charge 
of  his  uncle,  who  was  yearly  becoming  more  of  a 
skinflint,  appealed  to  him  as  few  things  ever  had. 

"  I'll  tell  father  all  about  it,"  he  was  saying  to 
himself,  as  he  pushed  both  motorcycles  into  the 
barn ;  "  yes,  and  Owen  in  the  bargain,  because  he's 
got  a  splendid  head  for  unraveling  mysteries  and 
puzzles ;  took  all  the  prizes  the  Weekly  Town  Topics 
offered  in  their  contest  last  year,  and  said  they 
were  easy  money  for  him.  The  bunch  of  us  ought 
to  be  able  to  get  things  straight  for  Toby.  I  be- 
lieve Uncle  Nathan  is  doing  the  wrong  thing,  and 
that  father  can  have  him  knocked  out  as  Toby's 
guardian." 

The  prospect  of  the  boy  having  a  decent  gentle- 
man appointed  by  the  court  to  act  in  his  interests, 
and  give  him  a  good  home,  appealed  immensely  to 
kind-hearted  Max;  who  was  chuckling  at  a  great 
rate  as  he  started  for  the  house. 

The  Hastings  home  was  just  a  little  way  outside 
the  town  of  Carson.  It  had  quite  large  grounds 
around  the  house,  with  trees  and  gardens  besides, 
to  add  to  its  looks. 

"  I'll  see  to  it  that  the  barn  door  is  sure  enough 
locked  before  we  go  to  bed  to-night,"  Max  was  say- 
ing to  himself  as  he  neared  the  side  door  of  the 
house.  "  Not  that  I  believe  the  Ted  Shaf  ter  bunch 
would  dare  try  and  steal  our  machines;  but  you 
never  can  tell.  And  I  reckon  it's  true,  what  we 
used  to  write  in  our  copy  books  in  the  lower  grades, 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  65 

that  '  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  better  than  a  whole 
pound  of  cure/  Yes,  I'll  lock  the  stable  door  be- 
fore the  horse  is  stolen.  There  comes  Owen,  boom- 
ing along  just  like  he  had  ridden  a  motorcycle  all 
his  life.  He's  grinning  for  all  get-out,  too.  Won- 
der what  funny  thing  happened  to  Bandy-legs  ?  " 

Owen  made  a  gesture  with  his  hand,  which  his 
cousin  interpreted  to  mean  that  he  wanted  him  to 
wait  a  minute. 

"What  makes  you  laugh  so  much?"  demanded 
Max,  as  the  other  dropped  off  his  machine  close  be- 
side him. 

"  Oh,  that  Bandy-legs  is  the  limit  and  a  whole 
circus !  "  chuckled  Owen.  "  He's  going  to  make  us 
all  the  fun  we  can  stand.  To  see  those  short  legs 
of  his  working  the  pedals  when  he  starts  out,  and 
before  the  engine  begins  to  take  hold,  is  enough 
alone  to  give  a  fellow  the  heartburn.  Then  he  gets 
into  the  queerest  scrapes  right  along." 

"What's  he  been  up  to  now?"  asked  Max,  curi- 
ously; for,  like  every  healthy  boy,  he  enjoyed  a  joke, 
even  though  it  might  be  on  himself  at  times. 

"  Why,  it's  like  this,  you  see,"  began  Owen,  try- 
ing to  sober  down  so  that  he  could  talk  intelligently ; 
"  when  we  got  near  their  street,  first  thing  I  knew 
I  heard  him  give  a  whoop.  He'd  gone  in  too  close 
to  the  side  of  the  road,  and  a  branch  of  a  tree  that 
hung  low  down  had  snatched  his  hat  off  just  as  fine 
as  you  please.  It  made  me  think  of  the  old  story  of 
Absalom,  King  David's  son,  who  was  hung  by  his 


66  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

long  hair.  But  all  Bandy-legs  had  to  do  was  to 
stop  and  go  back  to  pull  his  hat  down.  Made  lots 
of  trouble,  though,  and  gave  him  the  rattles." 

"Oh,  then  something  else  happened,  did  it?" 
questioned  Max. 

"  It  sure  did,"  replied  the  other,  again  smiling 
broadly.  "Why,  poor  old  Bandy-legs  had  hardly 
got  started,  decent-like  again,  before  he  struck 
something  on  the  side  of  the  road,  and  took  a 
header  right  over  the  front  of  his  machine ! " 

Max  looked  a  trifle  serious. 

"Whew!  I  hope  it  wasn't  serious  for  either 
Bandy-legs  or  his  machine,"  he  said. 

"  Wheel  wasn't  hurt  one  bit ;  and  as  for  him,  he 
landed  head  down  in  a  mud  pond  alongside  the  road. 
Oh,  what  a  sight  he  was  when  he  came  crawling 
ashore,  with  the  mud  dripping  from  him!  And, 
Max,  the  worst  of  it  was,  it  happened  right  near 
his  own  home,  where  his  mother,  father  and  Sis 
were  standing  out  on  the  porch,  waiting  for  us  to 
show  up,  because  they  had  heard  the  sound  of  the 
motors ! " 

Max  whistled  to  indicate  his  feelings. 

"Pretty  tough  on  Bandy-legs,"  he  remarked. 

"  Oh,  he  took  it  all  right,"  Owen  went  on  to  say ; 
"  laughed  fit  to  kill  at  the  funny  side  of  the  acci- 
dent; and  said  he  was  going  to  conquer  that  old 
bucking  broncho  if  it  took  him  all  summer ! " 

"  Good  for  Bandy-legs ;  he  shows  the  true  Outing 
Boys'  grit,  all  right,"  observed  Max,  enthusiastical- 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  67 

ly.  "  And  sooner  or  later  he'll  come  around  all 
right." 

"  If  he  don't  break  his  neck  trying,"  remarked 
Owen.  "  After  he  had  wiped  some  of  the  mud  off, 
he  insisted  on  showing  his  father  just  how  well  he 
could  manage  his  machine;  and,  Max,  he  did  go 
splendid,  too.  Even  his  father  declared  it  was  won- 
derful how  Clarence  had  managed  to  master  such 
an  intricate  contrivance." 

"  Then  he  didn't  forbid  Bandy-legs  to  keep  on 
riding?"  asked  Max,  hopefully. 

"  Oh,  no ;  he's  beginning  to  look  at  things  a  little 
sensibly  now ;  sees  that  the  times  are  different  from 
when  he  was  a  boy,  and  that  things  go  along  faster. 
Then  the  fact  that  we  boys  earned  every  dollar  of 
the  money  the  wheels  cost  had  a  lot  to  do  with 
the  way  Mr.  Griffin  looked  at  it.  He  says  he  never 
heard  of  boys  doing  such  a  fine  piece  of  business." 

"  Well,  it  was  a  big  scoop,  all  right;  and  I  haven't 
heard  of  a  single  find  since  we  gave  up  the  pearl- 
hunting  business,  Owen.  I  reckon  we  got  all  there 
were  in  the  waters  of  the  good  old  Big  Sunflower." 

"  Got  your  machine  put  away,  have  you,  Max  ?  " 

"Yes,  and  don't  be  surprised  when  you  see 
Toby's  motorcycle  alongside  mine.  He  was  afraid 
to  take  it  home ;  didn't  know  but  what  Uncle  Nathan 
might  lock  it  up  and  try  to  dispose  of  it;  because 
he  never  heard  of  such  extravagance  in  all  his  mean 
old  life.  You  see,  up  to  now  he  hasn't  even  heard 
about  the  finding  of  the  pearls.  Toby  says  he 

17 


68  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

would  have  made  it  pretty  warm  for  him  if  he'd 
learned." 

"  Poor  old  Toby,  he  does  lead  a  hard  life  of  it," 
remarked  Owen. 

"  You  don't  know  half  he's  suffered,"  Max  went 
on.  "  I've  just  had  a  heart-to-heart  talk  with  him, 
Cousin,  and  he's  told  me  things  that  riled  me  up. 
I'm  going  to  have  father  look  into  his  affairs,  be- 
cause I  believe  he's  being  badly  treated  by  his  uncle, 
and  that  if  Toby  had  his  rights  he'd  be  living  in 
comfort.  But  you  trundle  your  wheel  into  the 
stable  and  give  it  some  oats  if  you  think  it's  hun- 
gry. Then  come  up  to  our  room,  and  I'll  tell  you 
something  that  will  open  your  eyes  and  make  you 
think.  I  want  your  advice,  Owen,  the  worst  kind ; 
and  our  chum,  Toby,  needs  help.  So  skip  along 
now,  and  don't  keep  me  waiting  longer  than  you 
can." 

As  if  Owen,  after  having  his  boyish  curiosity 
excited  in  this  manner,  could  linger  one  second 
more  than  was  absolutely  necessary. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

AT  THE  DOOR  OF  THE  BIG  BARN. 

"  WAKE  up,  Max !  " 

"Why,  what's  the  matter,  Owen;  it  don't  seem 
to  be  near  daylight  yet?" 

"  Sure  not,  and  I  don't  think  it's  even  midnight ; 
but  there's  somebody  moving  around  out  there  near 
our  barn,  and  you  know  our  motorcycles " 

But  Max  was  out  of  bed  in  a  "jiffy,"  as  Steve 
Dowdy  would  have  said. 

"  The  dickens  you  say,  Owen !  How  d'ye  know 
that?"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  fumbled  to  find  the 
chair  on  which  his  clothes  were  tossed;  for  it  was 
pitch  dark,  the  young  moon  having  sunk  behind  the 
western  horizon. 

"  Why,  I  just  happened  to  wake  up  and  couldn't 
get  to  sleep  again,"  the  other  went  on  to  say  as  he, 
too,  hurried  into  some  of  his  clothes.  "While  I 
was  lying  here  and  thinking  about  what  great  times 
we  are  going  to  have  right  away,  I  somehow 
thought  I  heard  a  sound  like  a  stick  snapping  out- 
side. Anyhow  it  made  me  crawl  out  of  bed  and 
go  over  to  the  window  here." 

"  Yes,  go  on,  Owen ;  hurry  up  and  tell  the  whole 


70  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

thing,"  urged  Max,  as  his  cousin  got  down  on  hands 
and  knees  to  hunt  on  the  floor  for  some  missing 
article  of  clothing. 

"  Just  as  I  got  to  the  window  I  saw  a  little  flash 
of  fire  down  close  to  the  barn." 

"  Fire ! "  exclaimed  Max.  "  Oh,  my  goodness,  I 
hope  they  wouldn't  be  so  silly  as  to  try  to  burn  the 
place  down,  just  to  spite  us !  That  gang  has  a  pretty 
bad  name,  but  I  can't  believe  they'd  go  so  far  as 
that,  Owen." 

"  Don't  know  anything  about  it,"  the  other  con- 
tinued, doggedly.  "  All  I  can  say  is  I  saw  the  flash, 
just  like  somebody  had  lit  a  match  to  look  for  some- 
thing. Here,  let's  have  that  fine  little  electric  torch 
you  bought  the  other  day,  Max;  it'll  help  me  find 
my  other  sock  all  right.  There  she  is,  and  that's 
a  bully  little  contraption,  too." 

"  A  light,  and  with  gasoline  around,"  Max  went 
on,  as  though  the  idea  did  not  appeal  to  him  at  all ; 
"I  don't  like  that,  Owen.  Even  if  those  fellows 
only  mean  to  play  some  trick  on  us,  they  may  run 
into  a  serious  accident.  Why,  if  that  gasoline  ex- 
plodes one  of  the  crowd  might  get  badly  scorched." 

"Which  would  serve  him  about  right,  then," 
Owen  muttered,  as  he  went  on  dressing  in  some 
sort  of  slipshod  way;  for  under  the  circumstances 
neither  of  the  boys  cared  about  how  they  put  things 
on. 

"I  don't  see  anything  around  that  place  right 
now,"  Max  remarked,  in  the  same  sort  of  low 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  71 

whisper  in  which  the  conversation  up  to  now  had 
been  carried  on. 

"  Course  you  don't.  Think  they  want  to  keep  on 
making  a  row  and  showing  all  kinds  of  flares  to  tell 
people  what  they're  doing?  Not  much.  When  fel- 
lows are  up  to  doing  the  nasty  stunts  that  Ted 
Shafter  and  his  crowd  follow,  they  keep  in  the 
dark  as  much  as  possible." 

"  And  I  haven't  caught  a  single  sound  from  down 
there,  either,"  Max  went  on. 

"  All  the  same  I  heard  one  at  the  time  I  jumped 
out  of  bed,"  Owen  persisted  in  declaring.  "Are 
you  near  dressed  now,  Cousin?" 

"  All  I  expect  to  be,"  came  the  reply. 

u  Now  what  are  we  going  to  do  ?  "  asked  Owen. 

"  Go  out  and  see  what's  going  on,"  answered  Max, 
resolutely. 

"  We  don't  know  what  we  might  be  up  against, 
do  we? "  remarked  the  other,  who  was  always  reck- 
oned an  exceedingly  cautious  lad,  making  due 
preparations  for  trouble  before  it  descended  on  his 
head. 

"  Oh,  I  see  what  you're  hinting  at,  old  fellow," 
chuckled  Max.  "Yes,  since  that  robbery  of  old 
Farmer  Griffin,  Bandy-legs'  uncle,  folks  have  been 
a  little  worked  up.  There's  just  the  least  bit  of 
chance  that  it  might  be  a  bunch  of  yeggs  trying  to 
break  in  here.  And  on  that  account,  then,  I  agree 
with  you,  we  ought  to  take  some  sort  of  weapons 


72  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

along  with  us.  Now,  what  do  you  want  to  carry, 
Owen!  " 

"I  was  thinking  the  old  horse  pistol  that  hangs 
on  the  wall  would  do  for  me,"  replied  the  other, 
quickly. 

"But,  land's  sake,  it  hasn't  been  loaded  for 
twenty-five  years,  Owen ! " 

"  Don't  care  a  bit ;  it's  dreadful  looking  enough 
to  scare  most  anyone  into  having  a  blue  fit,"  re- 
turned the  other,  doggedly. 

"  And  the  hammer  is  really  broken,  to  tell  the 
truth,"  Max  went  on. 

"All  the  same  I'm  going  to  carry  it  and  give 
some  fellow  a  fright,  perhaps.  Now,  how  about 
you,  Max?  " 

"  If  I  was  like  you  I'd  say  that  sword  my  grand- 
father carried  through  the  Civil  War  would  be 
good  enough  for  me.  But  on  the  whole  I  think  I'd 
rather  have  something  that  can  reach,  in  case  a 
fellow  is  running  away,"  whispered  Max. 

"  That  means  your  shotgun,  I  take  it! "  queried 
his  cousin. 

"  Just  what  it  does ;  and  here  it  is,"  Max  went  on, 
as  he  lifted  some  article  down  from  a  couple  of 
hooks  on  the  wall.  "  Fortunately,  I  can  put  my 
hand  right  on  a  couple  of  duck  shells  that  were  left 
over  from  last  winter.  Now  both  barrels  are  in 
prime  shape  to  speak.  Come  along,  Owen,  let's  be 
going  downstairs." 

"  Your  little  electric  torch,  Max ! " 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  73 

w  Oh,  you  can  be  sure  I've  got  that  gripped  tight, 
all  right,  my  boy.  Careful,  now,  and  don't  make 
any  more  noise  than  you  can  help.  Father  is  a 
light  sleeper,  and  if  he  heard  us  creeping  along, 
he'd  like  as  not  call  out  to  ask  what  was  doing. 
And  that  would  sort  of  queer  things,  I'm  afraid." 

The  two  half-dressed  boys  began  to  pass  down 
the  stairs.  Fortunately,  they  knew  every  foot  of 
the  way,  and  could  even  in  the  dark  tell  where  to 
step,  in  order  to  avoid  all  obstacles.  Hence,  Max 
did  not  have  the  least  occasion  to  make  use  of  his 
trusty  electric  torch  while  they  were  on  the  way 
to  the  back  door. 

Passing  through  dining  room  and  kitchen,  they 
presently  reached  the  exit.  Here  Max  found  a  lit- 
tle difficulty  in  pushing  back  the  obstinate  bolt, 
which  finally  gave  way  with  more  or  less  of  a  throb, 
that  made  their  anxious  hearts  jump,  such  was  the 
nervous  strain  under  which  both  lads  were  laboring 
just  then. 

But  all  remained  silent ;  and  after  listening  brief- 
ly Max  and  his  cousin  passed  out  of  the  house. 

The  stars  were  shining  brightly  in  the  heavens 
above,  but  all  the  same  it  seemed  pitchy  dark. 
They  knew  just  which  way  to  turn  in  order  to  fol- 
low the  path  to  the  barn ;  and  with  Max  leading  the 
way,  the  march  was  begun. 

It  would  be  useless  to  say  that  neither  of  them 
felt  the  least  quiver,  when  in  truth  they  experienced 
all  sorts  of  shivery  feelings.  After  all,  they  were 


74  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

only  boys  and  quite  unused  to  such  excitement  as 
this.  But  neither  of  them  had  the  slightest  idea  of 
quitting;  they  were  not  built  that  way. 

So  with  wildly  beating  hearts,  and  teeth  that 
were  tightly  compressed,  they  continued  along  the 
walk  that  would  take  them  to  the  barn. 

Crickets  were  chirping  in  the  grass  and  under 
the  gloomy  trees.  It  was  much  too  early  in  the 
summer  for  katydids  to  tune  up;  for  among  all 
country  folks  there  is  a  tradition  that  frost  is  due 
just  six  weeks  after  the  first  lay  of  the  katydid 
can  be  heard. 

Presently  Owen  realized  that  his  companion, 
whose  dark  figure  he  could  barely  make  out  just 
ahead  of  him,  had  abruptly  left  the  regular  walk 
and  was  now  pushing  along  by  another  route. 

Although  he  might  not  exactly  understand  why 
Max  did  this,  he  felt  that  there  must  evidently 
be  a  good  reason  for  his  action.  And  Owen  was 
ready  to  accept  whatever  his  cousin  thought  would 
be  best  for  the  success  of  their  little  midnight 
saunter. 

Several  times  did  Max  stop  as  though  to  listen. 
But  although  Owen  strained  his  hearing  he  was 
unable  to  detect  any  unusual  sound  near  by. 

They  were  now  close  to  the  big  barn  and  stable, 
which  began  to  loom  up  against  the  starry  sky;  but 
if  any  suspicious  prowlers  were  around  they  must 
be  keeping  themselves  pretty  close,  because  as  yet 
they  made  no  sign. 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  75 

Suddenly  something  touched  Max  on  the  arm 
and  gave  him  a  thrill ;  but  instantly  he  realized  that 
it  was  Owen  who  had  leaned  forward  to  press  a 
finger  on  his  person. 

"  I  heard  it,"  Max  said  in  the  faintest  sort  of 
whisper  that  told  his  comrade  he  too  had  caught 
the  low  murmur  of  human  voices  from  some  point 
close  by. 

Max  made  a  little  change  in  his  route,  so  that  he 
was  now  heading  straight  toward  the  spot  where 
those  mutterings  could  still  be  heard.  Evidently 
he  believed  in  striking  while  the  iron  was  hot,  and 
going  direct  to  the  core  of  the  matter. 

As  they  drew  closer  the  sounds  increased,  so  that 
they  presently  made  out  some  three  different  tones. 
This  seemed  to  agree  with  what  they  had  first  sus- 
pected; for  did  not  Ted  Shafter  have  just  two 
boon  companions,  who  stuck  to  him  through  thick 
and  thin? 

On  the  other  hand,  they  would  be  up  against  a 
hard  proposition  should  the  prowlers  prove  to  be 
a  trio  of  desperate  hoboes,  of  the  type  known  to 
officers  of  the  law  as  yeggmen,  because  they  are 
really  hard  criminals,  who  never  hesitate  to  rob  a 
bank,  a  private  residence,  or  a  jewelry  shop  in  a 
country  town. 

Some  boys  would  have  held  up  and  considered 
it  the  part  of  wisdom  that  they  waken  their  father 
and  get  all  the  assistance  possible.  Somehow  it 
never  seemed  to  occur  to  Max  and  Owen. 


76  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

They  were  armed  and  could  present  quite  a  formi- 
dable appearance  to  any  foe,  if  it  came  to  a  show- 
down; and  even  Owen  seemed  to  have  more  or  less 
confidence  in  his  wretched  old  horse  pistol,  a  relic 
of  bygone  days. 

Once  the  low  talking  stopped,  but  only  to  go  on 
again  presently,  as  though  possibly  those  who  were 
crouching  near  by  might  have  imagined  they  heard 
a  sound  that  appeared  in  some  degree  suspicious, 
but,  upon  listening,  were  reassured  once  more. 

It  was  creditable  to  both  of  the  boys  that  they 
persisted  in  moving  along,  even  while  remaining 
in  dense  ignorance  as  to  the  identity  or  character 
of  these  interlopers,  who  had  apparently  entered 
the  Hastings  grounds  in  secret,  and  were  bent  on 
carrying  out  some  unlawful  design. 

Now  they  were  very  close  to  the  spot.  Max  be- 
lieved he  understood  exactly  where  these  parties 
must  be  crouching,  since  he  knew  the  vicinity  of 
that  barn  so  well,  from  having  played  around  it 
many  years. 

Yes,  he  was  confident  that  with  due  diligence  he 
and  Owen  could  manage  to  come  directly  upon  the 
others  and  give  them  the  surprise  of  their  lives 
when  the  brilliant  light  of  that  little  electric  hand 
torch  was  suddenly  flashed  into  their  eyes  and  they 
saw  the  frowning  muzzles  of  the  shotgun  and  horse 
pistol  thrust  up  close  to  their  faces. 

If  it  turned  out  to  be  Ted  Shafter  and  his  com- 
rades, Amiel  Toots  and  Shack  Beggs,  Max  was  try- 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  77 

ing  to  think  what  ought  to  be  done  to  such  rascals, 
who  would  try  to  injure  three  precious  motorcycles, 
just  in  a  spirit  of  mischief.  It  would  certainly 
serve  them  just  about  right  if  they  were  handed 
over  to  the  head  of  the  local  police ;  although,  since 
Ted's  father  was  a  leading  politician  in  Carson, 
even  that  might  not  serve  to  end  his  evil  practices, 
as  influences  would  be  brought  to  bear  to  get  the 
boys  free  on  promise  of  better  behavior. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  prowlers  turned  out  to 
be  big  men,  tramps  who  were  desperate  characters, 
the  situation  might  develop  into  something  that 
would  call  for  other  assistance.  In  that  event  Max 
would  feel  justified  in  shouting  for  his  father  to 
come  upon  the  scene. 

At  any  rate,  they  were  now  so  near  the  place 
where  the  unseen  parties  seemed  to  be  clustered 
that  whatever  was  about  to  happen  could  not  be 
much  longer  delayed. 

The  whispering  and  chuckling  had  started  up 
again.  Something  must  appeal  to  the  three  fellows 
as  more  or  less  funny,  to  judge  from  the  way  in 
which  they  kept  up  this  sort  of  low  laughter  at  in- 
tervals. There  was  also  a  champing  sound,  which 
neither  Max  nor  his  cousin  could  understand;  but 
which  might  stand  for  almost  anything. 

Perhaps  the  fellows  were  trying  to  bore  a  hole 
through  the  barn  door,  in  order  to  reach  the  catch, 
and  in  this  way  open  a  way  to  where  the  motor- 
cycles were  stored.  Max  knew  that  such  a  thing 


78  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

could  be  done,  even  though  the  key  had  played  its 
part,  and  the  lock  held,  up  to  the  time  the  second 
door  was  made  free. 

Making  sure  that  Owen  was  at  his  side,  he  pushed 
on  just  a  little  farther.  Then  he  judged  by  the 
sounds  that  they  were  almost  upon  the  unseen 
trespassers.  Once  again  had  an  absolute  silence 
fallen.  It  was  as  though  some  slight  sound  made 
by  Max  or  his  cousin  had  been  heard,  and  those 
they  expected  to  surprise  might  be  listening  to 
learn  what  was  up. 

Well,  there  was  no  use  waiting  any  longer.  They 
had  crept  as  close  as  seemed  possible  and  the  time 
was  surely  ripe. 

Accordingly,  Max  assumed  as  gruff  a  voice  as 
he  could  and  suddenly  cried  out : 

"Don't  one  of  you  move  hand  or  foot,  or  we'll 
shoot !  Consider  yourselves  under  arrest ! " 

And  at  the  same  time  he  pressed  the  little  knob 
that  caused  the  electric  torch  to  throw  its  bright 
light  full  ahead  in  the  quarter  he  wanted  to  cover. 

The  result  was  startling  indeed,  and  both  Max 
and  his  cousin  had  their  very  breath  taken  away 
by  what  they  discovered. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

HISTORY   REPEATS   ITSELF. 

INSTEAD  of  looking  upon  three  desperate  hoboes, 
or  even  Ted  Shafter  and  his  two  faithful  followers, 
Max  saw  that  the  intruders  were  merely  a  little 
bunch  of  boys  from  town,  bent  on  securing  some 
of  the  ripe  harvest  apples  that  grew  close  to  the 
Hastings  barn,  filling  the  air  with  their  tempting 
aroma. 

They  were  white  with  sudden  fright  as  they 
stared  at  the  gun  and  pistol  that  threatened  them, 
with  that  strange  glow  seeming  to  come  from  the 
bull's-eye  lantern  of  a  police  officer. 

Then  the  champing  sound,  which  Max  and  Owen 
had  fancied  might  be  made  by  an  auger  boring 
through  the  barn  door,  was  doubtless  the  boys' 
jaws,  working  overtime  on  what  supply  of  apples 
they  had  already  managed  to  secure. 

Having  been  alarmed  somehow  while  engaged  in 
filling  their  pockets,  perhaps  when  a  branch  broke, 
producing  the  sharp  sound  that  Owen  had  heard, 
the  young  orchard  thieves  had  hastened  to  hide 
under  the  dense  shadow  of  the  barn  and  amuse 

79 


80  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

themselves,  while  waiting,  by  eating  a  portion  of 
their  booty. 

Max  burst  out  into  a  loud  laugh,  in  which  his 
cousin  joined.  And  possibly  the  sound  served  to 
break  the  spell  that  seemed  to  bind  the  three  ter- 
rified apple  thieves.  They  sprang  hastily  to  their 
feet  and  make  a  wild  break  of  it,  running  like  deer 
through  the  darkness.  For  the  time  being  they  en- 
tirely forgot  the  terrible  threat  which  Max  had  ut- 
tered at  the  time  he  first  threw  that  white  light 
into  their  faces. 

Had  he  wanted  to  fire  his  gun  in  order  to  add 
wings  to  their  flight,  Max  could  hardly  have  found 
a  chance  to  do  so.  He  was  shaking  all  ov°r  with 
laughter. 

Really,  there  was  not  the  slightest  need  of  doing 
the  least  thing  in  order  to  assist  the  departure  of 
the  intruders.  They  were  rushing  along  in  mad 
haste,  utterly  regardless  as  to  what  they  ran  up 
against  in  the  darkness. 

Every  now  and  then  the  two  standing  there  would 
hoar  a  loud  bump,  accompanied  by  a  distinct  groan, 
that  told  how  some  tree  had  suddenly  disputed  the 
way  with  an  unfortunate  young  orchard  robber. 
Perhaps  the  three  boys  would  think  twice  before 
attempting  such  a  midnight  raid  again.  And  espe- 
cially would  they  be  apt  to  shun  the  Hastings  fold 
from  that  night  on. 

"Well,  what  d'ye  think  of  that?"  gasped  Owen, 
when  finally  the  last  rustling  of  the  leaves  and 


81 

trampling  of  rushing  feet  had  died  away,  bringing 
silence  again  on  the  scene. 

"It's  one  on  us,  all  right,"  replied  Max,  still 
shaking  with  the  humor  of  the  situation. 

" Looks  like  it,"  the  other  went  on ;  "to  think  of 
us  bringing  out  all  these  deadly  weapons,"  .shaking 
the  ancient  horse  pistol  as  he  spoke ;  "  and  then  to 
find  that  instead  of  the  desperate  yeggs,  or  even 
Ted  Shafter's  crowd,  it  was  only  a  bunch  of  scared 
little  kids  from  town,  with  a  liking  for  harvest  ap- 
ples! Wow,  I'll  nearly  have  a  fit  every  time  I 
think  of  the  midnight  alarm,  Max ! " 

"  Wait  till  I  take  a  look  at  the  lock  of  the  barn 
door,"  remarked  the  other,  as  he  stepped  forward, 
and  at  the  same  time  turned  the  glow  of  his  torch 
in  the  proper  quarter;  "not  the  faintest  sign  of 
it's  having  been  meddled  with.  Say,  let's  go  back 
to  bed,  cousin.  It's  a  little  chilly  out  here,  d'ye 
know  ?  " 

"  But  ten  to  one  we  couldn't  shiver  anything  like 
those  three  kids  are  right  now,"  the  other  observed, 
as  he  followed  Max  toward  the  house. 

Apparently  the  adventure  did  not  serve  to  keep 
either  of  the  boys  awake  very  long ;  for  after  crawl- 
ing back  into  bed  they  soon  began  to  breathe  in  that 
regular  way,  telling  of  sound  sleep. 

Morning  came  at  last  and  the  boys  were  early 
astir.  As  they  anticipated  making  their  first  trip 
with  the  new  motorcycles  on  this  day,  nothing  could 


82  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TEAIL. 

have  tempted  either  of  them  to  "  lie  in,"  as  growing 
boys  like  to  do  ordinarily. 

About  eight  o'clock,  therefore,  it  was  no  surprise 
to  hear  the  now  familiar  popping  of  an  exhaust 
down  the  road,  and  discover  Steve  Dowdy  hum- 
ming along  toward  the  Hastings  home. 

Hardly  had  he  arrived  than  another  sound  an- 
nounced that  Bandy-legs  was  coming.  He,  too, 
showed  up  in  good  condition,  so  that  they  were 
now  all  on  hand  but  Toby,  who  would  have  to  come 
afoot,  since  his  machine  was  already  present. 

Max  had  been  thoughtful  enough,  in  having  the 
lunch  prepared,  to  include  a  third  party,  since  it 
went  without  saying  that  Toby  would  bring  nothing 
from  his  house.  He  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
securing  enough  to  eat  while  at  home,  and  certainly 
his  miserly  uncle  would  never  allow  him  to  carry 
even  half  a  loaf  of  bread  away  with  him. 

Max  had  found  a  good  chance  to  talk  with  his 
father  on  the  preceding  night,  with  regard  to  Toby's 
troubles.  Mr.  Hastings  was  a  sensible  man  who  felt 
keenly  for  boys  in  all  their  relations.  And  when 
he  had  heard  all  that  his  son  knew,  or  suspected, 
he  expressed  himself  as  determined  to  look  deeply 
into  the  matter. 

"  I  am  of  the  same  opinion  as  you,  son,"  he  had 
remarked  in  conclusion ;  "  and  believe  that  Mr. 
Jucklin  is  keeping  something  back.  Just  as  like  as 
not  there  may  have  been  some  property  left  to 
Toby  by  his  father,  and  that  he  is  entitled  to  better 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  83 

times  than  lie  seems  to  be  having.  But  be  careful 
not  to  throw  out  a  hint  to  anybody,  and  caution 
your  cousin  the  same  way." 

And  although  nothing  definite  was  said  on  the 
subject,  Max  understood  just  why  his  father  did  not 
wish  him  to  talk.  It  would  put  old  Nathan  on  his 
guard,  for  one  thing,  and  that  was  a  bad  turn  in 
the  case.  Then,  again,  he  might  take  action  against 
the  Hastings  for  defamation  of  character.  There 
had  been  a  remarkable  affair  in  the  local  courts  of 
Carson  not  so  long  before  that  kept  people  laugh- 
ing for  some  time,  and  ever  since  then  neighbors 
were  very  careful  how  they  said  anything  that 
might  serve  as  a  basis  for  a  libel  suit. 

And  Max  was  also  positive  that  his  father  would 
take  the  first  opportunity  for  going  to  Cincinnati, 
to  investigate,  and  pick  up  some  facts  connected 
Trifch  the  matter.  He  wished  he  might  go  with  him, 
but  that  could  hardly  be.  And,  knowing  how  thor- 
ough his  father  always  was  in  everything  he  at- 
tempted, Max  felt  sure  that  better  times  were  in 
store  for  poor  Toby  ere  long.  Likewise  a  little 
surprise  for  scheming  Uncle  Nathan. 

"  I  see  him  coming  right  now !  "  announced  Steve, 
after  they  had  been  waiting  quite  some  time  for 
the  absent  member  of  the  club. 

Max  breathed  easier,  for  he  had  begun  to  feel 
uneasy.  What  if  the  old  miser  had  happened  to 
get  wind  of  the  remarkable  good  fortune  of  his 
nephew,  in  conjunction  with  the  other  four  fellows, 

18 


84  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

and  had  demanded  that  he  turn  over  his  share  of 
the  sales  of  the  pearls  to  his  legal  guardian! 

But  it  was  all  right,  else  Toby  would  not  be  hur- 
rying along,  waving  his  hat  to  his  chums. 

"  He  k-k-kept  me  to  c-c-cut  ever  so  much  wood," 
he  gasped,  as  he  reached  the  spot  where  the  others 
awaited  him,  Max  and  Owen  with  a  warm  grip  of 
the  hand  that  rather  surprised  both  Steve  and 
Bandy-legs,  who  were  not  in  the  secret. 

"  It's  luck  you  got  off  at  all,"  remarked  the  for- 
mer of  these  two,  who  despised  Toby's  uncle  more 
than  he  did  any  person  in  all  Carson  or  vicinity. 

"  I'd  just  like  to  get  that  old  man  in  the  swim- 
min'  hole ;  wouldn't  I  duck  him  to  beat  the  band ! " 
declared  Bandy-legs. 

"H-h-how's  everything1?"  asked  Toby,  recover- 
ing his  breath  in  part,  and  even  smiling  a  little  as 
he  caught  the  meaning  look  Max  gave  him;  which 
he  rightly  construed  to  mean  that  it  was  all  right 
about  his  father  taking  up  the  case. 

"  Everything's  lovely  and  the  goose  hangs  high," 
sang  out  Bandy-legs,  gayly,  as  he  stooped  to  attend 
to  some  little  thing  in  connection  with  his  motor- 
cycle. 

"Well,"  declared  Owen,  just  then,  "the  goose 
had  a  mighty  narrow  squeak  last  evening.  If  his 
hair  had  been  longer  he'd  have  hung  high,  all  right, 
in  the  branches  of  a  tree." 

"  Eight  you  are,"  answered  Bandy-legs,  laughing 
himself  as  he  remembered  what  had  overtaken  him 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  85 

on  that  occasion;  and  if  it  had  been  the  hard  road 
instead  of  that  mud  hole,  I'd  be  wearing  a  big 
bump  right  now,  instead  of  this  chipper  smile.  I 
tell  you,  it's  far  better  to  be  born  lucky  than  rich, 
every  time.  The  mud  holes  for  me ;  others  can  take 
to  the  roads  when  they  come  a  cropper." 

"Do  we  get  started  soon?"  demanded  impatient 
Steve. 

"  Nothing  to  hinder  us,  that  I  can  see,"  replied 
Max. 

"How  about  the  gas;  have  our  tanks  all  been 
filled?"  asked  Bandy-legs. 

"  Speak  for  yourself ;  the  three  that  stayed  here 
last  night  were  looked  after  this  morning,"  de- 
clared Owen,  promptly. 

"  Oh,  I  saw  to  mine  at  home,"  remarked  Steve. 

"  Ditto  for  me,"  Bandy-legs  went  on  to  say. 

"  Then  suppose  we  get  a  move  on,  fellows.  Hur- 
rah for  the  Outing  Boys  of  Carson,  and  success  to 
them  on  their  first  run! "  Steve  cried,  as  he  pushed 
his  heavy  machine  forward  abreast  of  the  others. 

Within  ten  minutes  they  were  all  away.  The 
start  was  made  without  any  accident,  which  all  of 
them  considered  a  lucky  omen.  Of  course  they 
were  strung  out  along  the  road  in  single  file,  for 
whoever  saw  two  motorcyclists  running  abreast  as 
bicyclists  love  to  do?  The  tremendous  pace  at 
which  the  former  sometimes  go  prevents  this  close 
association,  and  there  are  also  other  reasons  to 
keep  them  a  certain  distance  apart. 


86  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

Max  led  off,  as  the  selected  leader.  After  him 
came  impatient  Steve,  then  Bandy-legs,  Toby,  and, 
finally,  Owen  brought  up  the  rear. 

On  an  open  stretch  they  kept  well  within  sight 
of  one  another.  Sometimes,  when  a  bend  of  the 
road  was  encountered,  they  would  for  a  brief  time 
lose  track  of  each  other,  but  as  a  rule  at  least  three 
of  them  remained  in  sight  all  the  time. 

So  quite  a  number  of  miles  were  passed  over  and 
everything  seemed  to  be  going  quite  well.  Max 
even  let  out  a  little  speed,  and  they  had  a  run  that 
fairly  thrilled  the  pulses  of  the  novice  riders. 

The  one  thing  that  struck  them  as  odd  was  the 
fact  that  they  could  not  enjoy  conversation  while 
on  the  move.  Such  a  distance  separated  the  riders 
that  they  must  bottle  up  what  they  had  to  say  until 
a  stop  was  made  and  they  could  gather  in  a  clump. 

Max,  in  advance,  was  not  at  all  idle.  Many  times 
he  would  glance  down  at  the  road  in  front  of  his 
moving  machine,  as  though  something  he  saw  there 
interested  him  exceedingly. 

The  fact  of  the  matter  was  he  had  discovered 
plain  marks  that  told  him  other  motorcycles  must 
have  gone  along  that  same  road,  and  not  a  great 
while  before. 

Max,  who  was  always  a  close  observer  of  little 
things,  which  might  be  passed  by,  if  seen  at  all  by 
others,  knew  that  these  marks  had  been  made  since 
early  morning,  because  they  passed  over  every 
other  track  left  by  farm  wagons  going  in  to  market. 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  87 

"  That  must  mean  Ted  and  his  bunch  have  come 
up  this  way,  and  it  wasn't  when  they  were  off  yes- 
terday, either,"  Max  was  saying  to  himself,  from 
time  to  time. 

The  thought  gave  him  no  pleasure.  He  knew  the 
vindictive  spirit  that  as  a  rule  dominated  Ted 
Shafter.  And  if  the  others  were  to  run  across  the 
Outing  Boys  the  chances  seemed  ten  to  one  they 
would  be  tempted  to  try  and  do  them  an  evil  turn. 

So  Max  was  watching  for  a  good  chance  to  leave 
the  main  road  and  take  to  some  likely  looking  side 
pike.  Anything  to  get  away  from  that  crowd. 
They  would  be  welcome  to  nine  tenths  of  the  uni- 
verse if  only  they  left  Max  and  his  chums  have  a 
chance  to  enjoy  their  little  tenth  alone  and  un- 
molested. 

In  places  the  road  was  exceedingly  narrow.  And 
then  again  it  would  be  bordered  by  a  swampy 
stretch  of  territory,  that  had  been  covered  with 
logs  and  made  into  what  was  known  locally  as  a 
corduroy  road. 

Max  hoped  they  would  not  have  the  ill  luck  to 
meet  with  any  vehicle,  an  automobile,  for  instance, 
going  the  other  way  at  this  bad  part  of  the  pike. 
In  case  such  a  thing  happened  there  was  apt  to  be 
some  confusion  among  his  companions,  especially  if 
the  warning  came  suddenly  and  caused  more  or 
less  excitement. 

And  so  he  was  constantly  on  the  lookout. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  in  case  he  wished  his 


88  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

chum  to  stop  he  was  to  give  a  certain  signal.  This 
was  to  consist  of  a  rapid  succession  of  sharp  blasts 
from  his  horn. 

Without  the  least  warning,  therefore,  this  thrill- 
ing sound  broke  upon  the  ears  of  the  other  four. 
There  was  an  immediate  effort  to  check  up;  the 
engines  were  shut  off  and  brakes  applied,  as  they 
had  been  instructed  must  be  done.  And,  of  course, 
a  lot  of  entirely  unnecessary  energy  was  applied. 

Bandy-legs,  as  usual,  was  the  unlucky  one.  He 
had  failed  as  yet  to  get  the  hang  of  this  stop  busi- 
ness. Possibly  he  applied  the  brake  so  hard  that 
the  machine  was  brought  to  a  quick  stand,  while 
he  kept  right  on. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  he  repeated  the  ridiculous 
tactics  he  had  practiced  on  the  preceding  afternoon, 
as  explained  by  Owen  after  he  rejoined  his  cousin. 

Max  had  already  leaped  from  his  machine,  and 
looked  back  at  the  time  he  gave  the  signal  to  dis- 
mount ;  for  he  wished  to  ascertain  what  success  his 
chums  had  in  making  the  stop.  Hence  he  was  just 
in  time  to  witness  the  flop  of  Bandy-legs  as  his 
motorcycle  swerved  from  the  road  to  stick  in  the 
mud  of  the  swamp,  and  allowing  the  unlucky  rider 
to  take  a  beautiful  header  over  the  wide-spreading 
handlebars. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

WHAT  THE  MAN  ON  THE  HAY  WAGON  TOLD. 

SQUASH  I 

Everybody  heard  that  sickening  sound,  as  poor 
Bandy-legs  came  down  in  the  midst  of  the  soft  mud 
of  the  swampy  tract  bordering  the  road.  Max,  im- 
mediately abandoning  his  machine,  ran  hastily  back 
to  assist  his  unfortunate  chum,  if  such  a  thing 
proved  necessary. 

When  he  arrived,  however,  Bandy-legs  was  crawl- 
ing out  of  the  muck  and  hastily  examining  his  ma- 
chine, in  order  to  ascertain  whether  any  damage 
had  been  done  beyond  getting  the  front  wheel  cov- 
ered with  black  mud. 

And  Bandy-legs  was  a  sight!  Max  wanted  to 
shriek  with  laughter  as  he  looked  at  his  face,  every 
inch  of  which  was  covered  with  slime.  The  "  plung- 
er "  coolly  wiped  the  mud  away,  and  had  the  nerve 
to  grin  at  his  comrades,  as  they  gathered  sympa- 
thetically around. 

"  Ain't  hurt  a  bit,  fellers,"  he  managed  to  splut- 
ter, spitting  out  some  of  the  swamp,  that  had  forced 
its  way  between  his  teeth  when  he  investigated  the 

89 


90  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

conditions  under  the  oozy  water  that  barely  covered 
the  rank  mud. 

"Which  do  you  mean,  the  motorcycle  or  your- 
self? "  demanded  Owen,  who  was  trying  hard  to 
keep  from  bursting  out  into  a  laugh  at  the  comical 
appearance  of  the  unfortunate  Bandy-legs. 

"  Neither  one  of  us,"  replied  the  other,  quickly. 
"  But  then  I  reckon  I'm  a  sight,  fellers.  Oh,  laugh 
if  you  want  to ;  'twon't  hurt  me  a  teeny  bit !  Let 
go,  Steve,  or  you'll  bust  the  biler  holdin'  in." 

And  at  that  they  did  laugh  until  their  sides  ached, 
while  Bandy-legs  gravely  pulled  his  heavy  machine 
carefully  out  of  the  swamp,  and  began  to  wipe  it 
off  with  some  grass,  forgetting  all  about  his  own 
predicament,  with  that  coating  of  mud  on  the  en- 
tire upper  part  of  his  person;  indeed,  all  over  him, 
in  fact. 

"  Hey,  what  made  you  give  that  sudden  call  for  a 
halt?"  asked  Bandy-legs,  after  the  first  spasm  of 
their  laughter  had  passed. 

Max  turned  and  pointed  along  the  road. 

"  A  big  load  of  hay,  and  heading  this  way,  too ! " 
exclaimed  Steve. 

"  Yes,  and  taking  about  every  inch  of  space  there 
is,"  Max  remarked.  "  I  saw  at  once  we  hadn't  a 
ghost  of  a  show  of  getting  by,  and  would  have  to 
find  a  place  to  haul  our  wheels  to  one  side  while 
he  drove  past.  That's  what  we  must  do  right  now, 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  91 

fellows.     Everybody  look  for  a  spot  where  he  can 
get  off  the  road." 

"  Huh,  I've  got  mine  picked  ont  already,"  re- 
marked Bandy-legs ;  at  which  they  all  roared  again, 
as  he  had  expected  them  to. 

Max  himself  hurried  back  to  where  he  had  low- 
ered his  motorcycle  to  the  road  in  his  haste  to 
reach  the  unlucky  one,  before  Bandy-legs  found  him- 
self actually  smothered  in  the  oozy  mud. 

He  quickly  saw  how  he  could  push  the  wheel 
aside,  and  thus  give  the  approaching  hay  wagon 
room  to  get  past.  The  man  was  laughing,  as  though 
he,  too,  had  been  a  witness  of  Bandy-legs'  mad 
plunge. 

An  idea  striking  him,  Max  held  up  his  hand 
about  the  time  the  horses  were  on  a  line  with  him, 
snorting  a  little  at  sight  of  the  brightly  colored 
motorcycle,  to  which  sort  of  vehicle  they  were  no 
doubt  strangers. 

"  Sorry  to  make  ye  git  out,  young  feller,"  said 
the  farmer,  with  a  wide  grin ;  "  but  she  happens  to 
narrer  down  quite  some  around  here,  an'  in  course 
it  ain't  to  be  spected  that  I  cud  leave  the  road  a 
mite,  with  this  load.  I'd  sink  in  to  the  hub,  and 
never  git  out  'tall,  till  I  unloaded  the  hull  business." 

"  Oh,  don't  mention  it,"  sang  out  Max,  pleasantly; 
"we  always  give  way  to  a  wagon  that  carries  a 
load.  One  of  my  chums  was  in  a  little  too  big  a 


92  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

hurry,  that's  all,  and  curious  to  find  out  if  the 
muck  bed  had  any  bottom.  He  knows  now.  By  the 
way,  have  you  been  long  on  the  road  this  morn- 
ing?" 

"  On'y  a  hour  er  so,  mister.  My  farm  lies  'bout 
two  mile  up  yander.  I  git  to  this  road  along  a 
leetle  one  of  my  own,  ye  see,"  replied  the  other, 
readily  enough. 

"  Then  I'm  afraid  you  can't  give  me  the  informa- 
tion I  wanted,"  said  Max,  in  a  somewhat  disap- 
pointed tone. 

"What  be  that,  mister?"  demanded  the  man. 

"  Oh !  I  was  only  wondering  whether  you  had  met 
with  any  other  young  fellows  on  machines  like 
ours,  this  morning?  They've  gone  along  here,  as 
the  marks  show,"  Max  continued. 

"  Ain't  made  a  single  thing  turn  out  yit,  mister," 
the  farmer  answered;  and  Max  was  beginning  to 
think  that  he  would  not  get  any  clew  from  this 
source,  when  the  man  went  on  to  'remark :  "  But 
now  as  I  think  of  it,  thar  was  some  sort  of  gang 
went  on  daown  the  road  jest  afore  I  kim  on  to  it. 
Beckons  as  how  they  must  'a'  been  as  many  as  three 
fellers  in  the  line,  all  boomin'  away  like  fun,  an' 
leavin'  the  meanest  smell  behind  I  got  this  many 
a  day.  How's  that  strike  ye,  young  feller;  be  them 
the  ones  ye're  lookin'  for?  " 

"  I  reckon  they  are,  farmer,  and  much  obliged 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  93 

to  you  for  the  news.  Now,  if  you'll  pull  along,  I 
can  get  back  on  firm  ground.  This  thing  quakes 
under  the  weight  of  myself  and  machine,  you  see, 
and  threatens  to  cave  away  with  us  both." 

So  the  man  with  the  big  wide-spreading  load  of 
hay  gave  a  chirrup  to  his  prancing  horses,  that 
really  needed  no  goad  to  induce  them  to  continue 
their  forward  movement,  for  they  did  not  like  the 
looks  of  the  queer  smelling  machine  that  glistened 
in  the  bright  sunshine. 

In  turn  he  passed  each  of  the  others.  When  it 
came  Bandy-legs',  the  man  nodded  his  head  and 
made  some  remark  that  the  boy  received  in  good 
part.  Owen,  who  was  close  by,  thought  it  sounded 
like: 

"  How  does  it  go,  young  feller  ?  Practicin'  fur 
the  gymnastic  act  in  the  circus,  I  reckons.  Bound 
to  be  a  big  success.  Let  me  know  when  you  show 
and  I'll  come  as  fur  as  twenty  mile  to  see  ye  do 
her  agin." 

Then  the  big  hay  wagon  went  creaking  down  the 
narrow  road,  and  the  boys  were  once  more  free  to 
go  on,  whenever  they  pleased. 

However,  Max  had  pity  on  the  mud-daubed 
Bandy-legs,  and  called  a  halt  of  ten  minutes  in  or- 
der to  give  him  a  chance  to  clean  himself  and 
wheel  up.  There  being  plenty  of  water  handy, 
Bandy-legs  soon  made  himself  fairly  presentable; 


94  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

while  what  mud  was  left  on  the  machine  could  be 
better  knocked  off  after  it  had  dried. 

"  This  here  is  only  a  beginning,  fellers,  you  hear 
me,"  remarked  the  one  who  had  made  such  a  close 
investigation  of  the  qualities  of  the  swamp  mud. 
"I'm  going  to  stick  this  out  if  she  takes  all  sum- 
mer. A  Griffin  never  owns  up  to  being  licked, 
whether  by  man,  beast  or  benzine  wagon.  She's 
just  got  to  behave,  sooner  or  later,  and  own  that 
I'm  the  master.  I'll  show  her  who's  boss.  She's 
a  bucker,  all  right ;  but  then  I  always  pick  out  soft 
places  to  drop  on,  you  notice." 

"  S-s-say,  Bandy-legs,"  began  Toby,  breaking  a 
long  silence  on  his  part. 

"Hey,  fellers,  Toby's  woke  up  at  last!"  ex- 
claimed the  one  addressed.  "  Go  right  along  and 
get  it  out  of  your  system.  Everybody  give  advice ; 
and  then  I'll  just  do  what  happens  to  come  to  me 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  Speak,  Toby ! " 

"  I  was  j-j-just  g-g-going  to  s-s-say—  '  began  the 
stammerer,  when  impatient  Steve  broke  rudely  in 
on  his  obstructed  flow  of  words : 

"  Then  why  don't  you  hurry  your  stumps  and 
say  it!  " 

"  — to  s-s-say,"  Toby  calmly  went  on,  paying  no 
attention  to  this  break,  "  that  you  ought  to  t-t-tie 
yourself  in  the  s-s-saddle  with  a  r-r-rope ! " 

"Now,  that's  the  best  yet,"  scoffed  Bandy-legs. 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  95 

"  Say,  just  imagine  what  would  happen  to  poor  me 
if  the  old  wheel  stopped  short.  I'm  no  iron  man. 
Want  to  break  every  rib  I've  got,  eh?  No,  thank 
you,  I  prefer  to  keep  on  in  my  good  old  way,  look- 
ing out  for  nice,  easy  spots  to  light  on.  That'll 
do  for  advice  now.  Some  of  the  rest  of  you  may 
need  help  later  on.  Just  remember  that  I  don't 
claim  any  patent  on  that  same  high  spring.  You're 
welcome  to  it,  fellers.  And  I'm  going  to  cudgel 
my  brains  to  make  up  something  that'll  meet  the 
case.  Skip  along  now ;  scoot !  " 

Apparently  Bandy-legs  was  not  in  the  least  dis- 
mayed by  his  many  adventures.  They  seemed  to 
serve  as  a  tonic  to  brace  him  up ;  and  he  could  see 
that  he  was  affording  his  chums  the  time  of  their 
lives.  But  Bandy-legs  was  a  generous  fellow,  and 
did  not  mind  putting  himself  out  a  little,  if  by  so 
doing  he  could  give  his  comrades  an  occasional 
merry  half  hour. 

They  got  started  all  over  again.  Practice  makes 
perfect  in  most  cases ;  and  after  being  compelled  to 
mount  and  be  off  so  many  times,  all  of  them  showed 
signs  of  becoming  quite  proficient  in  the  knack  of 
starting  their  engines  without  a  hitch. 

Now  and  then  they  came  across  farms,  although 
as  a  rule  the  country  up  in  this  region  was  given 
up  to  woods  and  swamps.  Max  had  managed  to 
get  hold  of  a  pretty  fair  map  of  the  surrounding 


96  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

territory.  He  had  studied  it  well,  and  was  thus 
familiar  with  its  details. 

Hence  he  knew  that  some  ten  miles  off  to  ono 
side  lay  one  of  the  greatest  pieces  of  swamp  land 
and  marsh  bog  in  the  entire  State.  Cranberries 
were  grown  with  profit  in  sections  of  the  latter ;  but 
for  many  miles  there  stretched  the  most  mysterious 
waste  imaginable,  where  men  had  been  known  to 
lose  their  way  when  trapping  muskrats,  and  suffer 
hardships  before  seeing  their  homes  again. 

Max  had  long  wished  some  day  to  explore  this 
tremendous  swamp,  and  if  the  opportunity  ever 
came  up  he  meant  to  attempt  the  job,  which  some- 
how appealed  to  one  of  his  adventurous  nature. 

He  was  thinking  about  it  now  as  he  went  smooth- 
ly along  the  road,  sometimes  climbing  a  fair-sized 
hill,  to  immediately  speed  down  the  other  side,  with 
power  shut  off  and  brake  partly  in  service,  lest 
his  pace  become  overwhelming  for  a  novice. 

And  still  he  could  occasionally  see  plain  marks 
to  tell  him  that  Ted  and  his  two  friends  were  some- 
where ahead.  Evidently  they  had  started  on  this 
morning,  bent  upon  outdoing  the  work  of  the  Out- 
ing Boys.  Max  hoped  he  would  not  turn  a  bend 
and  come  upon  the  trio  of  rascals;  not  that  he  felt 
any  fear  as  to  personal  violence,  as  they  were  five 
to  three ;  but  Ted  was  sure  to  say  things  calculated 
to  make  the  atmosphere  rank  and  unpleasant,  and 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  97 

which,  with  fiery  Steve  in  the  party,  might  in  the  end 
lead  to  an  eruption. 

Steve,  who  came  directly  behind  the  leader,  being 
curious  to  get  certain  information,  had  put  on  a 
little  extra  speed,  so  that  he  drew  gradually  closer 
to  Max. 

"  How  far  d'ye  think  we've  come  by  now,  Max?  " 
he  called  out,  presently. 

"  Do  you  mean  from  Carson,  Steve  ?  "  answered 
the  other. 

"  Sure,  any  nowhere  else.  That's  where  I  live 
and  eat  and  sleep,"  proceeded  the  other,  quickly. 

As  Max  was  the  only  one  who  happened  to  have 
a  cyclometer  attached  to  his  machine,  he  must 
therefore  be  consulted  by  any  one  of  the  party  who 
wished  to  know  the  distance  traveled  from  time  to 
time. 

"  Road  winds  around  more  or  less,  you  see, 
Steve,"  he  called  back  over  his  shoulder,  without 
turning  his  head,  a  dangerous  trick  in  a  new  be- 
ginner. 

"  Sho !  I  know  that,  Max ;  but  how  far  are  we 
from  good  old  Carson?"  proceeded  the  other. 

"  As  the  crow  flies,  I  should  say  about  eleven 
miles,"  replied  Max. 

"Hang  the  crow!"  burst  out  Steve.  "What  I 
want  to  know  is  just  how  far  we've  come  on  these 
machines  this  morning.  What  does  the  record  say, 
Max!" 


98  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

"  Nineteen  miles  now,  and  will  be  twenty  in  a 
few  seconds,"  replied  Max,  obligingly. 

"  Not  so  bad  for  a  lot  of  greenhorns,  eh  ? " 
crowed  Steve;  and  even  Bandy-legs,  who  had 
caught  question  and  answer,  let  out  a  shout  of 
exultation. 

"Just  think  of  it,  twenty  miles  in  this  short 
time,  and  all  without  hardly  working  the  muscles 
in  a  feller's  legs!  I'll  have  a  cramp  pretty  soon 
if  I  don't  get  busy  and  use  'em ! "  he  exclaimed. 

"  You  can't  say  the  same  of  the  muscles  of  your 
body,  Bandy,"  jeered  Steve.  "  They  get  a-plenty 
of  exercise,  I  take  it;  and  the  worst  is  yet  to 
come." 

"Don't  blow  your  horn  till  you're  out  of  the 
woods  yourself,  my  fine  duck,"  replied  the  other, 
and  came  near  having  trouble  right  away  on  ac- 
count of  taking  his  attention  from  his  machine  for 
just  a  second. 

He  fell  back  again,  so  that  Toby  and  Owen  in 
turn  were  forced  to  also  abate  their  pace  in  order 
to  keep  their  relative  distance  apart.  But  Steve 
persisted  in  maintaining  a  rather  dangerous  posi- 
tion in  the  rear  of  the  leader  until  Max  warned 
him  to  also  fall  back  some. 

Once  more  the  country  had  become  very  wild, 
with  not  a  sign  of  a  farm  in  sight.  Forests  bor- 
dered the  road,  which  wound  in  and  out  like  a 
white  thread,  and  was  fairly  decent  riding. 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  99 

Max  was  beginning  to  despair  of  finding  a  chance 
to  leave  this  thoroughfare  and  strike  out  on  a  dif- 
ferent course.  His  map  was  an  old  one,  and  he  had 
an  idea  there  were  new  roads  made  since  it  had 
been  printed. 

"  Look  out,  Max ;  snake  across  the  road ! "  sud- 
denly shouted  Steve,  arousing  the  leader  from  a 
little  day  dream,  in  which  he  had  neglected  to  be 
as  cautious  and  keep  as  good  a  lookout  ab«*d  a? 
usual. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  STRANGEST   SNAKE   EVER   KNOWN. 

"  HEY,  look  out  there ! " 

"  That  was  a  close  shave,  Bandy-legs ;  you  came 
within  an  ace  of  running  me  down ! "  And  it  would 
seem  that  Steve  was  right,  since  the  boy  he  ad- 
dressed had  half  fallen  from  his  wheel  just  two  feet 
behind  the  machine  which  Steve  managed,  and 
which  at  the  time  he  was  frantically  trying  to  push 
out  of  the  way. 

Both  Toby  and  Owen  had  managed  to  bring  their 
motorcycles  to  a  halt.  At  least,  in  such  a  sudden 
alarm  the  four  boys  had  apparently  done  fairly 
well  in  effecting  a  sudden  stop;  nobody  had  be- 
come very  much  rattled. 

"  But  think  of  Max !  he  was  so  close  to  that  snake 
he  never  could  brake-up  in  time  to  keep  from — • 
Say,  whatever  is  the  fellow  doing  right  now?" 

It  was  Steve  who  gave  utterance  to  this  exclama- 
tion. He  was  the  one  who  in  the  first  place  had 
called  out  the  warning  that  thrilled  the  entire 
bunch;  and  under  the  circumstances  then,  it  was 
only  natural  that  he  should  be  most  concerned, 

100 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  101 

Why,  as  yet  none  of  the  others  had  even  seen  the 
said  serpent. 

Of  course,  at  Steve's  cry  their  eyes  were  im- 
mediately turned  ahead.  Max  was  there  in  plain 
sight,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  be  battling  for  his 
life  against  a  monster  snake  of  any  kind. 

"  Looks  like  he  was  bending  over  examining 
something,"  declared  Owen. 

"  That's  a  fact,"  said  Steve.  "  I  wonder  now  if 
he  could  have  just  run  over  the  measly  old  thing? 
He  was  going  at  a  pretty  smart  clip  when  I  gave 
tongue.  Gee,  fellows,  I  c'd  take  my  affidavy  I  saw 
the  thing  just  jump  up  at  Max!  My  heart  was  in 
my  throat  when  I  tried  to  stop  my  wheel  off 
sharp." 

"  But  M-m-max  seems  to  be  all  r-r-right,"  an- 
nounced Toby,  stoutly. 

"  Sure  he  does,  and  he's  found  something  queer 
about  that  snake,  too,  take  my  word  for  it,"  ob- 
served Owen. 

"Ain't  we  the  lot  of  sillies,  though,  standing 
here  jabbering  away  and  wonder  in'  what  it  all 
means,  when  we  could  just  as  well  push  ahead  and 
see  for  ourselves,"  and  as  he  spoke  impatient  Steve 
gave  his  heavy  motorcycle  the  first  shove  toward 
urging  an  advance. 

"  There,  look  at  him  dropping  his  wheel  right 
in  the  road.  He's  going  to  skip  off  afler  something, 
boys.  Hey,  Max,  what's  the  matter?  We  ain't  lost 


102  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

any  snake  as  I  know  of.  Want  us  to  come  along?  " 
And  Bandy-legs  raised  his  voice  to  a  shout. 

Max  turned  his  head,  but  only  to  send  back  a 
few  words. 

"  No,  you  fellows  wait  up  for  me.  Give  a  yell  if 
you  hear  me  shout.  I  might  get  lost  in  the  big 
timber." 

Then  he  ran  on  hastily. 

"Huh,"  grunted  Bandy-legs,  "not  much  danger 
of  that,  I  reckon !  If  there's  anybody  able  to  take 
care  of  himself  in  the  woods,  it's  Max  Hastings." 

"He's  g-g-gone,"  bubbled  out  Toby,  as  Max 
was  seen  to  spring  into  the  bushes  hurriedly,  as 
though  either  following  a  trail,  or  else  some  sound 
his  quick  ears  caught. 

"  Whatever  does  he  want  with  that  snake  ? " 
queried  the  puzzled  Steve,  shaking  his  head  in  be- 
wilderment. "  Must  'a'  been  a  mighty  curious  spe- 
cies, and  Max  thinks  he'd  like  to  let  that  scientific 
feller  in  town  have  a  squint  at  the  same.  Ketch 
me  chasing  my  neck  off  after  a  striped  reptile.  I 
thought  Max  had  more  sense." 

"You're  away  off  there,  Steve,"  broke  in  Owen, 
quietly ;  "  and  if  you  look  again  you'll  see  that  your 
blessed  old  snake  is  still  where  you  discovered  it ! " 

Immediately  an  excited  outcry  arose. 

"Gee,  whittiker!  looky  there,  would  you?  It's 
stretched  right  across  the  road,  tail  holding  fast  to 
one  tree,  and  head  on  to  another.  Did  you  ever  see 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRATL.  103 

such  a  thing?"  and  Bandy-legs  nearly  collapsed  as 
he  stared. 

The  other  boys  burst  out  into  a  roar  of  laughter. 

"See  it  shake  its  tail  now!"  mocked  Steve. 
"It's  mad  at  you,  Bandy-legs,  and  is  just  daring 
you  to  come  along  and  try  to  go  past.  Wow,  ain't 
it  a  bustin'  long  snake  though?  " 

"  F-f -first  t-t-time  I  ever  knew  a  rope  to  be  c-c- 
called  a  s-s-snake ! "  shouted  Toby. 

"  A  rope !  Of  course  if  s  a  rope.  Just  as  if  I 
didn't  know  that,  all  the  time,"  declared  Bandy- 
legs,  brazenly ;  "  but  what  in  the  wide  world  is  a 
rope  doing  there ;  tell  me  that,  fellers  ?  " 

"  Steve,  when  you  saw  it  first,  it  was  lying  on 
the  road,  wasn't  it?"  asked  Owen. 

"  Just  what  it  was.  And  I  saw  it  jump  up,  give 
you  my  solemn  word  I  did,"  replied  the  other  posi- 
tively. 

"We'll  soon  know  something  more  about  this 
queer  old  rope  that  plays  such  monkey-shines," 
chuckled  Owen,  who  apparently  already  had  a 
pretty  good  idea  in  that  connection. 

They  pushed  right  on,  each  fellow  trundling  his 
machine.  In  this  'fashion,  then,  the  quartet  ap- 
proached the  spot  where  Max  had  had  his  recent 
rather  thrilling  adventure. 

His  motorcycle  still  lay  in  the  road,  just  where 
he  had  hastily  deposited  it  at  the  moment  of  his 
rapid  departure;  but  they  could  not  hear  the  least 
sound  from  the  adjacent  woods  to  tell  where  Max 


104  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

had  gone.  To  Steve,  Toby  and  Bandy-legs  his  ac- 
tions bordered  on  the  mysterious. 

However,  their  attention  was  by  now  riveted 
upon  the  rope  which  was  seen  to  be  stretched  di- 
rectly across  the  road.  Each  of  them  in  turn, 
after  resting  his  machine  against  a  friendly  tree, 
strode  up  to  examine  that  rope.  Somehow  it  made 
Owen  remember  the  old  story  about  the  dozen  blind 
men  feeling  of  the  elephant,  and  afterwards  giving 
separate  accounts  as  to  what  they  thought  the  won- 
derful animal,  of  which  they  had  heard  so  much, 
was  like. 

Steve,  Toby  and  Bandy-legs  were  in  a  measure 
like  so  many  babes  in  the  woods,  as  they  had  had 
practically  no  experience  in  woodcraft.  He  listened 
to  what  they  were  saying  among  themselves  and 
smiled  with  amusement. 

"  It  is  a  sure-enough  rope,  all  right,"  asserted 
Steve,  as  though  he  had  been  a  little  inclined  to 
suspect  the  thing  after  all  would  turn  out  to  be 
some  remarkable  specimen  of  serpent,  a  road- 
runner  or  coach  whip,  perhaps. 

"L-1-looks  1-1-like  it,  anyhow,"  remarked  Toby, 
as  he  cautiously  put  out  a  hand  to  touch  the  thing 
delicately. 

"  And  see  here,  fellows,  it's  tied  in  a  real  hard 
knot  at  this  end;  while  at  the  other  it's  just 
whipped  around  that  low  limb  of  the  tree,  like  it'd 
been  done  in  a  hurry,"  Steve  declared. 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  105 

"  A  good  point  for  you,  Steve,"  remarked  Owen, 
nodding  his  head  in  approval. 

"  Whoopee,  I've  got  it ! "  and  Bandy-legs  began 
to  dance  around  as  though  he  thought  himself  the 
champion  guesser  of  the  bunch. 

"  Well,  don't  be  stingy  with  the  news,  now,  what- 
ever you  do,"  grumbled  Steve. 

"  T-t-tell  us ! "  demanded  Toby,  eagerly. 

"  It's  a  trap !  "  said  the  other,  solemnly. 

"Well,  looks  like  it,  all  right,"  Steve  admitted; 
"but  go  on  a  little  farther,  old  boy.  What  kind 
of  a  trap?" 

"  A  speed  trap ! "  Bandy-legs  ventured.  "  I've 
been  reading  about  the  same  in  the  papers  right 
along,  and  this  is  one,  take  my  word  for  it,  fellers." 

"A  speed  trap!"  echoed  the  scoffing  -Steve; 
"  what  in  all  creation  is  that  sort  of  thing,  Bandy- 
legs?" 

"  Why,  you  see,  in  country  districts  the  con- 
stables want  to  get  some  money  from  automobilists 
and  motorcyclists,  so  they  pass  a  law  about  speed, 
and  two  of  the  officers  they  hide  in  a  nice  place 
with  a  rope  fastened  on  one  side  of  the  road,  just 
like  it  is  here.  Then  when  they  see  a  machine 
coming  along  at  a  pretty  fair  clip  they  yank  the 
rope  up,  whip  the  other  end  around  a  tree  and  call 
on  the  poor  traveler  to  hands  up  and  deliver.  Don't 
you  see  now ;  and  ain't  I  got  a  head  on  me  for  guess- 
ing hard  knots  of  puzzles  ?  " 


106  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

Steve  and  Toby  looked  at  each  other;  but  only 
Owen  chuckled  as  if  amused,  the  other  two  taking 
Bandy-legs'  idea  seriously  enough. 

"  Sounds  kinder  reasonable-like,  I  must  say,"  re- 
marked Steve,  thoughtfully;  "but  what  gets  my 
goat  is  to  have  them  constables  try  and  hold  us  up 
when  we  couldn't  have  been  going  at  a  pace  ex- 
ceeding the  law." 

"  And  w-w-why  d-d-did  they  r-r-run  away?  "  cried 
Toby,  triumphantly. 

"  Sure  thing,"  demanded  Steve.  "  Never  thought 
of  that,  now.  Looky  here,  I  guess  your  explanation 
won't  wash,  Bandy-legs.  Besides,  where  in  thunder 
is  there  any  town  or  even  village  around  this  wild 
looking  place  ?  Oh,  let  up  on  that  thing  of  the  con- 
stables; there's  nothing  in  it." 

"But  here's  the  rope,"  asserted  Bandy-legs, 
sturdily,  not  relishing  having  his  brilliant  ideas 
riddled  as  with  a  load  of  birdshot. 

"  Yes,  it's  a  rope,  all  right,  we  admit  that,"  Steve 
answered. 

"  And  it's  been  tied  across  the  road  so  as  to  up- 
set any  motorcyclist  that  happened  to  run  fair  and 
square  against  it,"  went  on  the  other,  arguing  like 
a  lawyer. 

"  We  grant  all  that,  Bandy-legs ;  keep  going  now 
and  you'll  mebbe  get  somewhere,"  said  Steve,  coax- 
ingly. 

"  And  you  said  that  you  saw  it  sudden-like  jump 
up  into  place,  didn't  you,  Steve  ?  " 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  107 

"  I  stick  to  what  I  said ;  my  eyes  didn't  fool  me 
on  that,"  asserted  that  worthy. 

"And  last  of  all,  you  saw  Max  run  into  the 
woods  like  hot  cakes,  didn't  you?"  demanded 
Bandy-legs,  fixing  Steve  with  his  eye. 

"  We  all  did  that,"  admitted  the  one  on  the  grill. 

"  Then/'  cried  Bandy-legs,  triumphantly,  "  I  reck- 
on I've  proved  my  point,  which  is  that  somebody 
tied  this  rope  here,  with  the  idea  of  knocking  us 
off  our  wheels,  and  then  put  through  the  woods, 
afraid  of  the  consequences.  Max,  he  managed  to 
just  escape  a  bad  tumble,  and  hearing  the  noise 
that  party  made,  he  got  it  into  his  noddle  that  he 
wanted  to  chase  after  him  and  see  who  he  was,  per- 
haps bring  him  back.  Say,  Owen,  am  I  right?  " 

At  that,  finding  he  could  no  longer  stay  out  of 
the  argument,  and  enjoy  hearing  the  others  give 
vent  to  their  opinions,  Owen  joined  the  circle. 

"  I  guess  you're  hitting  pretty  close  to  the  truth, 
now,  Bandy-legs,  since  you've  hedged,  and  dropped 
that  silly  idea  about  constables  up  in  this  wilder- 
ness. It  was  somebody  who  fixed  this  rope  across 
the  road  to  serve  as  a  trap.  The  idea  wasn't  to 
get  money  out  of  automobilists ;  it  was  even  worse 
than  that." 

"  Listen  to  him,  boys ! "  exclaimed  Steve.  "  Owen 
knows  what  it  all  stands  for.  While  we've  been 
gassing  here  he's  been  doing  a  heap  of  thinking. 
Now,  Bandy-legs,  keep  your  ears  open  and  you'll 


108  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

be  apt  to  learn  something  worth  while.  Go  on, 
Owen,  and  tell  us  what  you  think ! " 

Owen  looked  thoughtful. 

"  I  wish  I  had  that  road  map  of  ours  here,"  he 
said,  slowly. 

"  You  mean  the  one  Max  carried  along  with  him, 
don't  you?  "  suggested  Steve. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  other. 

"  But  what  has  that  got  to  do  with  this  business, 
tell  me  that  ? "  Steve  went  on,  his  face  again  alive 
with  wonder. 

"  Because  I'd  like  to  see  what  sort  of  turns  this 
road  takes  that  we've  been  following,"  replied 
Owen.  "  That  would  kind  of  explain  some  things 
that  bother  me." 

"  Well,  they  can't  bother  you  one  quarter  as  much 
as  they  just  floor  the  rest  of  us,"  asserted  Bandy- 
legs  ;  "  so  please  hurry  your  stumps,  Owen,  and  ex- 
plain what  this  blessed  old  road,  with  all  its  twists 
and  turns,  has  got  to  do  with  this  same  rope  being 
stretched  here  across  the  pike." 

Owen  bent  down  again  and  felt  of  the  rope. 

"I  couldn't  be  dead  sure,  of  course,"  he  said, 
smilingly ;  "  but  I've  got  a  pretty  good  notion  that  if 
you  went  to  the  grocery  store  of  Mr.  Thatcher 
you'd  find  he  carried  this  same  style  of  clothesline 
in  stock.  It's  an  extra  heavy  kind,  you  notice,  boys, 
and  perfectly  new.  Perhaps  he  sold  it  as  late  as 
yesterday,  now." 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  109 

"What's  that?"  exclaimed  Steve;  "d'ye  mean  to 
tell  us  this  rope  was  bought  right  there  in  Carson, 
which  we  happen  to  know  is  twenty  miles  away 
from  this  place?  It  beats  all  how  you  figure  things 
out,  Owen.  The  old  rope  can't  talk;  then  how  d'ye 
know?  Has  Mr.  Thatcher  got  a  trade  mark  on 
every  yard  of  clothesline  he  sells  ?  I  don't  see  any- 
thing like  that,  now." 

"  Oh,  somebody  who  lived  in  Carson  might  have 
bought  it,  you  see,"  began  Owen ;  "  one  of  us,  for 
instance,  though,  of  course,  we  didn't.  I'm  only 
saying  that  to  give  you  an  illustration  like.  Yes, 
and  bought  this  rope  for  the  very  purpose  it's  been 
put  to,  here  and  now ! " 

"To  trip  us  up  and  send  us  into  the  ditch?" 
ejaculated  Bandy-legs. 

"  Nothing  more  nor  less  than  that,"  Owen  an- 
swered, positively. 

"  Oh,  t-t-there  c-c-comes  somebody ! "  cried  Toby 
just  then. 

Instantly  every  eye  was  focused  on  the  spot  to 
which  the  excited  boy  was  pointing.  They  could 
see  the  bushes  moving,  and  that  just  back  of  them 
a  figure  was  hastily  advancing  in  their  direction. 

"  Why  didn't  we  think  to  bring  that  gun  belong- 
ing to  Max?  "  muttered  Steve. 

"  But  we  won't  need  any  such  thing  just  now,  fel- 
lows," remarked  Owen,  quickly;  "because  it  isn't 
any  enemy  coming  over  there." 


110  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

"  Sho,  that's  true  enough ;  it's  Max  himself,"  ad- 
mitted Bandy-legs. 

They  could  all  see  this  now,  and  possibly  more 
than  one  of  the  boys  breathed  a  bit  easier  when  the 
fact  became  apparent  that  they  were  not  fated  to 
run  up  against  some  of  the  constables  Bandy-legs 
had  been  talking  about. 

Max  was  coming  as  fast  as  possible.  They  saw 
that  he  was  frowning,  which  could  be  set  down  as 
indicating  disappointment.  Possibly  he  was  not  at 
all  satisfied  over  the  barren  result  of  his  chase 
through  the  timber;  the  party  after  whom  he  had 
set  out  so  strongly  must  have  managed  to  get  away, 
after  all. 

Presently  he  joined  his  chums,  breathing  hard 
after  his  run.  The  trees  were  inclined  to  grow 
thick  together,  and  any  one  who  tried  to  hurry 
through  the  timber  would  be  kept  pretty  busy  dodg- 
ing their  trunks. 

"No  go,  Max;  got  away,  eh!"  asked  Owen. 

"Worse  luck,  he  did,"  grumbled  the  returned 
runner,  as  he  sank  down  and  tried  to  rest  a  little. 

"Lose  him  in  the  timber?"  continued  the  other. 

"  Nope,"  Max  replied,  obligingly ;  "  happened  that 
they  had  the  nice  little  game  all  laid  out.  There's 
another  road  over  yonder,  and  it  starts  right  down 
a  steep  slope.  Easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  jump 
on  and  get  to  humming  along  without  even  starting 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  Ill 

the  spark.  That's  why  you  didn't  hear  any  sound 
of  an  exhaust.  Listen  now,  and  you'll  get  it." 

"  Say,  that's  like  a  motorcycle ! "  exclaimed  Steve, 
suddenly  beginning  to  grasp  the  truth,  which  had 
been  known  to  Owen  all  along. 

"  And  it  is  a  motorcycle,  too ! "  asserted  Bandy- 
legs,  gravely,  as  though  he  might  be  exploiting  a 
great  principle. 

"  But  there  ain't  any  machines  up  in  this  here 
part  of  the  country  but  ours,  and —  Hey,  fellers, 
what  a  blooming  lot  of  idiots  we  are,  anyway  I " 
cried  Steve. 

"  Speak  for  yourself,  Steve,"  laughed  Owen,  "  I 
caught  on  long  ago;  and  Max  knew  right  in  the 
start.  That's  why  he  hurried  after  the  fellow  so. 
He  wouldn't  have  been  likely  to  make  that  move  if 
he  thought  it  was  one  of  Bandy's  constables,  for 
instance.  Not  much." 

"  And  it  was  one  of  that  sneaking  crowd,  was  it, 
stretched  this  here  rope  across  the  road,  just  to 
trip  us  up  and  give  a  feller  a  broken  collar  bone, 
mebbe  T  Well,  I  like  their  nerve !  How  about  that, 
Max?"  demanded  Steve. 

"  Now  you're  shouting  close  to  the  tree,  Steve," 
replied  the  leader,  who  by  this  time  had  fully  re- 
covered his  wind.  "It  was  Ted  Shafter  himself. 
I  glimpsed  him  a  number  of  times  when  chasing 
after  him.  He  had  too  big  a  start  of  me,  and  reach- 


112  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

ing  the  other  road,  where  Amiel  and  Shack  were 
waiting  all  ready  for  a  run,  he  just  climbed  on  his 
machine,  let  her  have  her  head  down-grade  and 
waved  his  hand  back  to  me  good-by,  laughing  in 
his  disagreeable  way.  Now  you  know  all  I  do, 
boys." 


CHAPTER   X. 

THE    QUEER   ACTIONS    OF  STEVE. 

"  JUST  like  that  Shaf ter  bunch !  "  exclaimed  Steve, 
hotly. 

"  Ted  never  stops  to  think  what  might  happen 
when  he  gets  an  idea  in  that  thick  old  head  of  his," 
declared  Bandy-legs,  indignantly.  "  Why,  he  might 
have  upset  Max  and  caused  him  a  lot  of  sore  bones, 
not  to  speak  of  smashing  his  wheel.  He's  sure  the 
limit  when  it  comes  to  playing  mean  tricks  that 
would  never  occur  to  anybody  else." 

"  A-a-anyhow,  I'm  g-g-goin'  to  have  his  old  r-r- 
rope,"  and  as  Toby  made  this  assertion  he  pro- 
ceeded to  unwind  one  end  of  the  stout  line,  where 
it  had  been  hastily  wound  several  times  around  the 
tree,  as  Max  reached  a  certain  point  where  Ted  be- 
lieved he  would  be  unable  to  stop  his  machine  in 
time. 

"  That's  the  ticket,  Toby,"  Steve  went  on  to  say, 
vindictively ;  "  take  it  along  with  you.  Who  knows 
but  what  we'll  get  a  chance  to  pay  those  chumps 
back  in  their  own  coin.  I'd  have  half  a  notion  to  do 
it,  too." 

113 


114  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

"  You  say  they  took  the  other  road,  Max? "  asked 
Owen. 

"  Yes,"  replied  his  cousin ;  "  I  reckon  it  branches 
off  from  this  one  a  little  farther  on.  They  must 
have  stopped  to  rest  a  bit  after  making  it.  And 
then  the  idea  struck  Ted  to  try  this  trick,  which 
they  had  made  all  preparations  for,  it  seems.  So 
he  pushed  through  the  neck  of  woods  between  the 
roads  and  lay  in  wait." 

"  J-j-just  like  a  big  f-f-f at  spider  waiting  to  g-g- 
gobble  up  a  f-f-fly ! "  Toby  said. 

"  Well,  all  the  same,  he  didn't  get  any  fun  out  of 
his  game,"  remarked  Bandy-legs. 

"  And  has  lost  his  fine  rope,  which  Toby  there  is 
winding  around  his  waist,  as  if  he  meant  to  keep 
the  same,"  chuckled  Owen. 

"  Let's  get  a  move  on,  fellers,"  observed  Steve, 
warmly. 

Max  eyed  him  curiously. 

"  Sounds  like  you  expected  that  we  meant  to  turn 
into  that  other  road,  Steve?"  he  observed. 

"Well,  don't  we?"  asked  the  one  addressed. 

"  Why  do  you  think  we  should  f  "  continued  Max. 

"Ain't  we  going  to  chase  that  bunch,  then?" 
asked  Steve.  "  D'ye  mean  to  say  we've  got  to  take 
all  their  rackets  and  never  once  lift  a  hand  to 
strike  back?  Say,  if  you  asked  me  for  my  opinion, 
I'd  fix  it  so's  we  could  give  'em  the  run  of  their 
lives  right  now.  And  if  so  be  we  happened  to 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  113 

ketch  Ted,  or  one  of  his  cronies,  I'd  be  for  doing 
something  to  make  him  sorry." 

"You  think  you  would  right  now,  Steve,"  de- 
clared Max,  smiling  calmly ;  "  but  don't  I  know  you 
too  well  to  believe  you'd  hurt  anybody  in  cold 
blood!  Better  let  the  whole  business  drop,  I  say. 
They  didn't  do  us  any  real  harm,  beyond  a  little 
scare,  and  since  they've  scooted  along  that  other 
road,  perhaps  we  won't  be  apt  to  see  anything  more 
of  the  bunch.  I  hope  not,  anyhow.  Owen,  how 
does  that  strike  you?" 

"  A  sensible  idea,"  replied  his  cousin. 

"  Toby,  are  you  of  the  same  opinion?  "  continued 
Max,  wishing  to  have  a  majority  back  of  him  be- 
fore deciding. 

Toby  shook  his  head  a  little  aggressively;  he  also 
touched  the  rope  he  had  been  at  so  much  pains  to 
wind  around  his  waist,  as  though  lamenting  the 
fact  that  if  this  plan  of  the  leader's  were  carried 
out  there  might  arise  no  opportunity  to  test  it.  But 
the  influence  of  Max  was  strong  over  Toby. 

"Y-y-yep,  I'm  with  you,"  he  finally  managed  to 
say,  with  a  distinct  sigh. 

"  Count  me  in,"  remarked  Bandy-legs,  seeing  how 
the  tide  was  going. 

"Oh,  if  you're  all  inclined  that  way,  move  we 
make  it  unanimous,"  grumbled  the  hot-tempered 
Steve- 

And  accordingly  they  brought  out  their  wheels 
ready  to  mount  again.  Max,  as  customary,  was  in 

20 


116  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

the  lead,  with  Steve  behind,  and  the  others  strung 
out  after  their  usual  fashion. 

And  as  some  little  distance  lay  between  each 
rider,  all  conversation  was  naturally  stopped  for  the 
time  being.  Motorcycling  is  not  social  sport  on  this 
account;  but  judging  from  the  clamor  of  tongues 
that  broke  forth  with  every  halt,  the  boys  made 
up  for  their  compelled  silence  whenever  they  had 
the  chance. 

Just  as  Max  had  surmised,  there  was  another 
road  leading  away  from  the  one  they  followed,  and 
it  seemed  to  run  in  about  the  same  general  direc- 
tion, he  noticed.  On  this,  at  the  forks,  he  had 
noted  that  the  trail  of  their  rivals  had  turned  aside. 
Max  only  hoped  that  the  second  road  did  not  take 
a  notion  to  rejoin  theirs  again,  some  five  or  ten 
miles  farther  on.  He  would  be  better  pleased  if 
it  headed  off  at  an  angle,  making  for  some  distant 
town  or  village.  The  less  he  saw  of  Ted  Shafter 
the  better  Max  would  be  pleased. 

The  country  continued  to  be  more  or  less  given 
up  to  woods,  with  occasionally  an  outlying  farm  to 
break  the  dreadful  monotony. 

Everything  seemed  to  be  going  along  smoothly, 
and  Max  felt  that  he  and  his  four  chums  had  good 
reason  to  be  satisfied  with  the  progress  they  were 
making,  without  incurring  unnecessary  risks. 

He  had  all  the  while  been  afraid  of  Steve,  who 
Was  so  impatient  of  restraint  and  desirous  of  mak- 
ing speed.  But  up  to  now  Steve  had  behaved 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  117 

fairly  decent.  True,  he  grumbled  a  little  occasion- 
ally because  they  did  not  test  their  machines  so 
as  to  find  out  just  what  they  were  capable  of;  but 
it  went  no  further  than  this. 

When  Max  was  congratulating  himself  in  this 
way,  and  virtually  boasting  of  the  good  luck  that 
had  attended  them,  he  must  have  neglected  to 
"  touch  wood,"  after  the  customary  boy  fashion, 
to  ward  off  ill  luck.  That  was  what  he  said  himself 
afterwards,  at  any  rate. 

For  he  had  really  hardly  allowed  himself  to  feel 
a  glow  of  pride  concerning  the  working  of  his  com- 
panions' machines,  when  his  thoughts  were  rudely; 
disturbed. 

It  was,  as  before,  a  sudden  shout  from  Steve  that 
broke  in  upon  his  reverie ;  but  this  time  the  cry  did 
not  happen  to  lie  in  the  line  of  snakes.  On  the  con- 
trary, Steve  seemed  to  be  calling  out  in  alarm,  and 
beseeching  Max  to  keep  over  on  one  side  of  the 
road,  so  as  to  allow  him  room  to  sweep  past. 

Almost  unconsciously  Max  complied,  although  he 
could  not  for  the  life  of  him,  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment,  understand  just  why  Steve  should  take  a 
rash  notion  to  head  the  procession,  and  was  at  first 
rather  indignant. 

He  dared  not  turn  his  head  to  see,  but  could 
understand  from  the  increased  vibration  from  the 
exhaust  of  the  other,  that  Steve's  machine  must 
have  suddenly  taken  on  high  speed,  and  was  bear- 
ing down  on  him  like  a  racer. 


118  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

Max  held  his  breath  with  suspense.  He  could 
hear  the  others  far  back  giving  tongue,  as  though 
they  were  provoked  to  see  what  manner  of  trick 
Steve  was  up  to.  But  now  the  on-coming  machine 
was  close  behind  him,  and  Max  had  all  he  wanted 
to  do  to  hug  one  edge  of  the  narrow  road,  in  order 
that  there  might  be  no  chance  of  a  smash-up  when 
the  other  started  to  pass  by. 

Then,  all  of  a  sudden,  another  thought  came  flash- 
ing into  his  mind.  Perhaps  Steve  was  not  so  much 
the  sinner  as  sinned  against ;  perhaps  he  had  met 
with  some  sort  of  an  accident,  so  that  he  could  not 
shut  off  power  and  was  actually  compelled  to  race 
along  at  this  mad  speed. 

The  very  idea  thrilled  Max  and  filled  him  with 
something  akin  to  horror  at  the  same  time.  A 
runaway  motorcycle  he  had  never  heard  of,  but 
such  a  thing  could  happen,  he  guessed;  and  if  it 
did  come  to  pass,  the  chances  for  the  rider  coming 
out  with  a  whole  neck  seemed  slight  indeed. 

And  then  Steve  whirled  by  like  a  hurricane.  He 
was  certainly  going  to  a  great  clip  and  sitting 
crouched  low  in  his  saddle  like  a  racer  might.  As 
he  went  past  Max  the  boy  shouted  a  few  words 
which  were  only  indistinctly  heard  by  the  amazed 
chum.  Nor  could  Steve  take  chances  by  attempting 
to  turn  his  head  so  as  to  send  back  any  message. 

Max  again  came  into  the  middle  of  the  road, 
hardly  knowing  what  he  ought  to  do,  for  the  task 
of  overtaking  a  runaway  motorcycle  presents  dif* 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  119 

ficulties  that  are  not  present  when  it  is  a  frightened 
horse  that  is  concerned. 

Steve  was  going  at  such  a  mad  clip  that  he  quick- 
ly vanished  up  the  road  in  a  tremendous  cloud  of 
dust. 

Then  Max  threw  up  his  hand,  making  the  signal 
he  knew  the  others  would  understand  meant  he  ex- 
pected to  stop.  Presently  all  of  them  came  to- 
gether; and  the  looks  upon  the  faces  of  Owen, 
Bandy-legs,  and  Toby  told  just  what  amazement 
had  seized  upon  them  after  seeing  how  badly  their 
impetuous  comrade  had  behaved. 

"  It's  a  s-s-shame,  that's  w-w-what ! "  stammered 
Toby. 

"  Why,  he's  stark,  staring  crazy  to  take  such  big 
chances ! "  declared  Bandy-legs. 

"  What  did  he  say  to  you  as  he  went  flying  past, 
Max?  "  asked  Owen,  suspiciously,  as  though  he  had 
an  idea  that  if  they  knew  this,  the  mystery  would 
be  explained. 

"  That's  the  trouble,  fellows,"  admitted  Max;  "he 
went  so  fast,  and  his  machine  made  such  a  racket, 
I  just  couldn't  grab  more'n  a  word  or  two  of  it." 

"But  you've  sure  got  an  idea  what  ailed  the 
reckless  feller?  "  queried  Bandy-legs. 

"  Yes,  I  think  I  can  give  a  guess  pretty  near  the 
truth,"  replied  Max,  his  face  clouding  up  with  anx- 
iety. "  He  must  have  been  trying  to  meddle  with 
some  part  of  his  machine  as  he  went  along  and  got 


120  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

something  out  of  order  so  that  the  thing's  running 
away  with  him." 

"  Gee,  whiz !  "  gasped  Bandy-legs ;  "  can  they  do 
that,  now?  I  was  thinking  mine  was  as  quiet  and 
easy  managed  as  a  cow;  but  if  they  rear  up  on 
their  hind  legs  and  act  like  they're  crazy,  just  be- 
cause you  happen  to  touch  the  wrong  button,  I'll 
be  a  little  more  careful." 

"  Is  it  possible  for  the  motor  to  get  started,  and 
refuse  to  stop,  Max?"  asked  Owen. 

"  It  certainly  is,  though  I  don't  think  it  happens 
often,"  replied  the  other.  "  It  might  come  about 
by  the  throttle  getting  open  and  disconnected  in 
some  way ;  or  the  magneto  or  battery  switch  being 
out  of  order.  Then  in  an  old  wheel,  a  sooted  cylin- 
der or  piston  would  cause  the  same  thing,  I  under- 
stand. No  matter  what  caused  Steve's  sudden 
trouble,  he's  been  run  away  with  and  is  in  danger 
of  being  smashed  up  right  now." 

"But  what  can  we  do  to  help  him?"  asked 
Bandy-legs,  hopelessly. 

"I  don't  believe  anything  can  be  done,  except 
he  manages  to  get  his  engine  under  control  him- 
self," Max  replied.  "As  I  am  the  best  rider  in 
the  bunch,  because  I've  had  experience,  suppose  I 
jump  on  and  go  after  him  as  fast  as  I  dare.  The 
balance  of  you  come  along  and  keep  on  the  watch 
to  sight  us." 

"  That's  the  ticket,  Max,  and  we  all  hope  you 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  121 

find  poor  old  Steve  in  the  land  of  the  living,"  said 
Bandy-legs,  mournfully. 

So  Max  pushed  his  machine  along  until  he  had 
the  engine  working,  sprang  into  his  saddle,  and 
with  a  hurricane  of  explosions  also  disappeared 
up  the  road. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A  MILE-A-MINUTE  CLIP. 

WHEN  Max  Hastings  hurried  along  in  that  fash- 
ion, his  heart  did  not  beat  high  with  hope.  Truth 
to  tell,  it  lay  like  lead  within  him ;  for  he  could  not 
see  how  inexperienced  Steve  Dowdy  could  keep  up 
that  crazy  pace  long  without  coming  to  the  end  of 
his  rope. 

There  were  many  curves  to  be  negotiated,  where 
even  an  old  rider  might  find  it  wise  to  slow  up, 
lest  his  wheel  "  skid,"  and  he  find  himself  in  the 
bushes,  with  his  motorcycle  on  top  of  him.  Even 
Max  abated  some  of  his  speed  when  he  came  to 
the  first  sharp  curve,  and  his  heart  seemed  to  al- 
most stop  beating  as  he  looked  to  see  if  there  were 
any  signs  of  poor  Steve  alongside  the  road  be- 
yond. 

But  the  trail  ran  on,  and  hope  again  filled  his 
heart. 

"  Bully  old  Steve ! "  he  was  muttering  to  him- 
self, in  admiration  of  the  greenhorn's  evident  abil- 
ity to  make  the  difficult  turn;  "he's  got  his  nerve 
along  with  him,  anyhow,  and  that  counts  for  a  lot. 
He  did  skid  some  w  whirling  around  there,  but 

122 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  123 

made  a  wide  sweep  and  held  his  own.  More  power 
to  your  elbow,  Steve ;  do  it  some  more,  please ! " 

So  as  he  rushed  on  at  a  great  pace  himself,  his 
eyes  constantly  on  the  watch  and  his  hands  fast  to 
the  grips  of  his  powerful  handlebars,  Max  kept 
talking  in  this  strain  to  himself.  It  seemed  some- 
how to  give  him  courage. 

From  time  to  time  he  allowed  himself  to  look 
downward  to  the  dusty  road.  In  this  way  he  was 
able  to  see  the  trail  which  the  rapidly  flying  run- 
away motorcycle  of  Steve  left  behind  to  serve  as 
a  guide  to  any  who  came  after. 

The  tread  was  unusually  wide,  showing  at  what 
a  terrific  pace  the  other  must  be  heading  onward. 
And  each  time  Max  successfully  rounded  a  bend 
he  would  eagerly  look  beyond.  He  somehow  cher- 
ished a  wild  hope  that  Steve  might  have  finally 
succeeded  in  regaining  control  over  his  engine  and 
come  to  a  safe  stop. 

But  nothing  rewarded  his  vigil.  At  the  same 
time  he  was  glad  that  the  trail  continued  on.  As 
long  as  he  could  see  that  mark  of  the  broad  rub- 
ber tires  in  the  dust  before  him,  at  least  no  catas- 
trophe had  as  yet  happened,  and  for  that  Max 
could  give  thanks. 

"  But  how  long  can  it  last?  "  he  was  saying. 

Luck  had  been  with  Steve  thus  far,  but  he  could 
not  expect  it  to  keep  right  along  with  him ;  for  min- 
utes, yes,  perhaps  even  hours,  because  the  gas  tank 


124  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

would  hold  out  until  he  had  covered  seventy  more 
miles;  but  sooner  or  later  there  would  crop  up  an 
ugly  bend,  marked  especially  dangerous  on  the  mo- 
torist's road  map ;  and  then  what  Max  feared  must 
come  to  pass.  Steve  would  meet  his  Waterloo 
there,  poor  old  Steve  who,  for  all  his  hot-headed 
nature,  possessed  qualities  that  made  his  chums 
love  him  well. 

Once  he  went  over  with  a  horrible  crash  there 
could  not,  of  course,  be  one  chance  in  ten  that  he 
would  survive  the  accident;  and  no  more  than  one 
in  fifty  that  he  could  escape  serious  hurts. 

One  thing  Max  noted  in  closely  watching  the  trail 
of  the  rubber  tread  in  the  road  dust,  occasionally 
it  seemed  to  wobble  from  side  to  side  in  a  peculiar 
way,  and  this  always  happened  when  the  line  of 
travel  was  decidedly  straight. 

He  believed  he  could  guess  the  cause.  Steve  had 
kept  his  head  about  him  even  in  such  a  nasty  pre- 
dicament, and  whenever  he  thought  he  could  man- 
age the  machine  in  the  straight  stretches  he  would 
lean  over  and  try  to  work  at  the  disconnected  throt- 
tle, trying  to  temporarily  repair  the  damage  his 
carelessness  had  caused. 

"  Good  for  you,  Steve ! "  Max  said  aloud,  when 
he  had  this  idea  break  in  upon  him.  "  You're  all 
right,  Steve,  old  fellow !  Don't  I  hope  you  do  man- 
age to  get  repairs  made,  though,  before  anything 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  125 

happens!  Oh,  what  if  he  should  meet  up  with  one 
of  those  big  hay  wagons  that  fill  the  road ! " 

The  very  thought  filled  Max  with  horror,  because 
he  knew  it  would  spell  the  end  for  poor  Steve  and 
his  new  motorcycle;  likewise  put  a  damper  on  all 
the  hopes  of  a  good  time  coming  for  his  four 
chums. 

Max  himself  was  going  at  a  fast  pace  pretty 
much  all  the  time.  He  only  slowed  up  while  making 
some  of  the  curves  in  the  road.  As  a  rule  he  took 
them  at  full  speed.  If  Steve,  who  had  never  been 
on  a  motorcycle  until  recently,  had  proved  himself 
able  to  negotiate  those  bends  without  a  spill,  surely 
one  who  had  ridden  as  much  as  he,  Max,  had  done 
in  the  past,  should  accomplish  the  same  feat. 

At  another  time  and  under  more  pleasant  condi- 
tions, the  even  running  of  his  engine  must  have 
filled  the  heart  of  the  boy  with  delight.  Its  con- 
stant purr  told  of  parts  that  did  their  work  me- 
chanically but  positively;  there  was  not  the  slight- 
est friction  or  jarring  sensation.  In  fact,  a  machine 
could  not  possibly  work  at  high  tension  with  better 
results  than  did  his  motor. 

But,  of  course,  Max  had  his  whole  attention  taken 
up  with  worrying  about  Steve.  He  could  think  of 
nothing  else,  it  seemed.  Each  new  curve  in  the 
road  as  seen  ahead  gave  him  another  spell  of 
anxiety.  And  as  he  succeeded  himself  in  passing 
around  the  same,  how  eagerly  would  his  eyes  scan, 


126  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

first  the  farther  side  of  the  road,  and  discovering 
no  wreck  there,  immediately  seek  out  the  plain  dust 
trail  again,  with  renewed  hope. 

Never  in  all  his  young  life  had  Max  been  under 
such  a  tremendous  strain  as  when  he  chased  along 
in  the  wake  of  the  runaway  motorcycle,  with  his 
unlucky  comrade  clinging  like  a  leech  to  the  saddle. 

Twice  now  had  Max  experienced  a  cold  chill. 
This  was  on  account  of  his  discovering  some  object 
on  the  side  of  the  road  far  ahead  that  looked  hor- 
ribly like  a  piled-up  motorcycle  wreck. 

But  each  time,  upon  drawing  closer,  he  had  found 
out,  to  his  exceeding  great  joy,  that  he  was  mis- 
taken. In  one  instance  it  proved  to  be  a  bunch  of 
weeds  and  brush;  and  in  the  other  a  pile  of  rotten 
rails,  allowed  to  lie  there  after  the  owner  of  the 
field  had  renewed  some  broken  parts  of  his  fence. 

As  his  thoughts  turned  back  to  the  three  other 
chums  who  had  been  left  far  in  the  rear,  Max  felt 
complete  faith  in  the  ability  of  Owen  to  follow 
such  a  plainly  marked  trail  as  he  and  Steve  were 
leaving  in  the  road  dust. 

All  he  wanted  was  to  find  Steve  unhurt ;  the  rest 
would  not  matter.  Miles  must  have  been  passed 
over  on  this  winding  road.  He  wondered  where  it 
would  take  them  eventually,  and  what  might  hap- 
pen if  Steve  rushed  through  some  outlying  village 
or  town  at  the  mad  pace  he  was  still  evidently 
keeping  up,  a  mile  a  minute,  perhaps. 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  127 

And  this  was  so  unpleasant  a  subject  that  he  at 
once  resolutely  put  it  out  of  his  mind,  nor  would  he 
allow  himself  to  entertain  thoughts  along  that 
line  again. 

Of  course  Owen  and  the  others  would  have 
started  again  to  follow.  Yes,  and  the  chances  were 
that  they  would  be  proceeding  at  a  much  faster 
pace  than  before;  so  they  could  not  be  so  very  far 
distant  even  now. 

Max  wished  they  were  alongside.  In  his  distress 
of  mind  he  would  have  been  only  too  glad  of  a 
chance  to  confer  with  Owen,  for  instance.  Two 
heads  are  generally  better  than  one;  and  perhaps 
Owen  might  have  some  idea  flash  into  his  mind 
whereby  Steve  could  be  helped,  though  Max  failed 
to  see  the  faintest  loophole  now. 

Another  bend,  and  a  particularly  bad  one  at  that ! 
The  strain  was  beginning  to  tell  on  stout-hearted 
Max,  and  if  he  felt  it,  what  of  Steve,  whose  neck 
was  in  constant  danger? 

But  Steve  was  keeping  his  wits  about  him  in  the 
most  extraordinary  fashion  and  in  a  way  to  make 
the  other  Outing  Boys  proud  of  their  chum. 

"  Never  thought  he  had  it  in  him,"  muttered  Max, 
when  he  had  made  the  curve  successfully,  to  pick 
up  the  trail  again  beyond.  "  It  goes  to  show  what 
a  fellow  can  do  when  he  just  has  to.  Steve,  now, 
would  have  shaken  his  head  and  said  he  never  could 
have  turned  a  bend  at  such  a  speed ;  but  he  has,  and 


128  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

lots  of  'em.  Oh,  will  it  ever  let  up!  Must  he  just 
keep  on  going  along  till  the  last  drop  of  gasoline 
has  been  used  up  T  " 

The  thought  made  him  grow  cold  again  around 
the  region  of  his  heart. 

If  this  same  accident  had  happened  to  him,  Max 
believed  he  could  have  solved  the  riddle  and  ef- 
fected a  remedy,  stopping  the  engine  in  some  other 
way ;  but  it  was  a  greenhorn  who  sat  in  the  saddle, 
and  Steve  would  keep  working  away  on  just  the 
one  line  until  he  succeeded,  or  the  end  came. 

When  a  hill  was  met,  Max  wondered  why  it  had 
not  occurred  to  Steve  to  run  into  the  bushes  along- 
side the  road  while  his  machine  was  making  slower 
progress.  But  it  did  not  seem  to  have  done  so ;  or 
else  Steve  was  grimly  determined  to  try  and  save 
his  motorcycle,  as  well  as  his  own  precious  bones. 

And  what  dazzling  speed  he  must  have  made  down 
the  incline  on  the  other  side !  Max  tried  to  see 
ahead  when  he  himself  was  making  the  top,  but 
trees  concealed  the  road,  so  that  he  discovered 
nothing  ere  he,  too,  started  down  the  incline  with 
such  rapidity  that  he  was  glad  to  shut  off  all  power 
presently,  the  impetus  of  the  heavy  machine  being 
enough  to  send  him  flying  onward. 

Once  again  now  he  was  on  the  level.  And  Steve 
had  survived  that  down-grade,  too,  for  the  trail 
still  led  onward,  Max  saw,  to  his  delight. 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  129 

Why,  it  was  simply  wonderful  bow  Steve  was 
carrying  himself.  No  one  could  give  him  the  name 
of  "tenderfoot"  after  this.  If  he  lived  through 
the  experience  he  must  be  entitled  to  an  entrance 
into  the  higher  classes,  as  one  who  had  proven  his 
right  and  title  to  experience  in  a  rough  school. 

And  then  once  more  Max  felt  that  chill  around 
the  region  of  his  heart.  He  certainly  did  see 
something  suspicious  now  on  one  side  of  the  road. 
It  looked  very  much  like  the  sun's  rays  gleaming 
from  the  steel  spokes  of  a  motorcycle. 

He  was  rushing  down  toward  the  spot,  and  would 
know  in  a  fraction  of  a  minute  whether  his  worst 
fears  were  about  to  be  realized  or  not. 

Yes,  it  was  surely  a  motorcycle,  and  painted  the 
same  color  as  that  of  Steve's,  he  now  discovered; 
which  fact  added  to  his  anxiety. 

Then  Max  began  to  shut  off  power  and  made 
ready  to  apply  the  brake.  He  was  coming  close 
now,  and  a  feeling  of  pleasure  began  to  dominate 
his  whole  being,  since  he  had  made  the  discovery 
that  the  motorcycle  was  undoubtedly  Steve's,  and 
that  it  stood  up  against  a  tree  quite  whole. 

That  would  indicate,  Max  realized,  that  his  com- 
rade must  have  finally  succeeded  in  regaining  con- 
trol over  his  runaway  engine,  so  that  he  had  been 
able  to  bring  it  to  a  stop. 

But  Steve  himself  was  certainly  not  in  sight,  so 
far  as  Max  could  see,  as  he  applied  his  brake  and 


130  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

came  to  a  halt  just  beyond  the  tree  against  which 
the  well-known  motorcycle  of  his  chum  rested  so 
quietly,  as  though  it  were  too  meek  to  ever  dream 
of  cutting  up  tricks  and  running  away  with  its 
rider. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

WHAT  THE   TKACKS  TOLD  MAX. 

"WELL,  that  is  funny!" 

Max  said  this  to  himself  as  he  came  back  to 
where  the  machine  of  Steve  rested  so  innocently 
against  the  tree,  and  still  could  see  nothing  of  the 
late  rider.  He  even  put  his  hand  on  the  motor  and 
felt  that  it  was  burning  hot,  proving  that  the  ma- 
chine had  only  recently  stopped  running. 

"Steve!"  he  called  out. 

There  was  no  answer.  A  red-headed  woodpecker 
flew  from  a  dead  stump  close  by  and  gave  a  jeer- 
ing squawk.  A  blue  jay  in  a  tree  beyond  the  swale 
also  seemed  to  mock  the  call  Max  sent  forth. 

"  Steve,  oh,  Steve ! "  once  more  rang  out,  this 
time  louder  than  before. 

Listening,  and  fully  expecting  to  hear  the  cheery 
voice  of  his  chum  give  reply,  Max  was  more  dum- 
f  ounded  than  ever  when  only  silence,  dead  silence, 
greeted  him.  The  woods  lay  there,  dark  looking, 
and  filled  with  unknown  mysteries.  Max  was  more 
or  less  appalled  at  their  gloom;  yet  he  had  too 
sturdy  a  nature  to  give  way  to  such  fancies. 

21  131 


132  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

"Hello,  there,  Steve,  where  are  you  hiding?  It's 
Max  calling !  Show  up  here ! " 

As  before,  there  was  no  reply,  save  another 
scream  from  the  red-headed  seeker  after  grubs  in 
the  dead  wood  near  by. 

Max  changed  his  tactics.  He  could  not  for  the 
life  of  him  understand  why  Steve  refused  to  an- 
swer. Surely  the  other  could  not  imagine  that  his 
chums  would  be  inclined  to  give  him  the  laugh  for 
what  had  happened.  Why,  if  anything,  he  deserved 
the  highest  of  praise  for  the  really  marvelous  man- 
ner in  which  he  had  kept  his  runaway  motorcycle 
on  the  winding  road  all  these  miles. 

Oh,  what  if  the  poor  fellow,  after  the  excitement 
of  his  mad  ride  had  passed,  could  have  actually 
fainted !  Max  had  known  fellows  to  act  in  that  way 
sometimes,  no  matter  how  brave  they  were  in  the 
face  of  the  danger  itself. 

"  That's  just  what  it  means,"  he  said  to  himself, 
more  to  buoy  up  his  courage  than  really  because 
he  believed  it  to  be  so ;  "  poor  Steve,  he's  just 
keeled  over  after  putting  up  that  jolly  ride.  The 
excitement  was  too  much  for  him,  and  maybe  I'll 
find  him  in  tHe  bushes  right  around  here,  as  white 
as  a  ghost." 

No  matter  how  little  faith  he  really  had  in  this 
new  idea,  Max  started  at  once  to  look  around  for 
some  signs  of  his  missing  chum. 

He  began  at  the  standing  motorcycle  itself,  for 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  133 

Steve  must  have  been  there  to  prop  it  up  in  that 
way. 

"  Here's  the  marks  of  his  shoes,  all  right,"  Max 
began  to  say,  as  he  bent  down,  the  better  to  see 
the  trail ;  "  and  right  at  this  point's  where  he  started 
away,  heading  into  the  woods.  Walking  strong, 
too,  at  the  time.  Don't  see  any  signs  of  wabbling, 
like  a  sick  fellow.  Now,  I  wonder  what  made  Steve 
think  of  doing  that?  He  must  have  known  that 
some  of  his  chums  would  come  along,  sooner  or 
later,  in  search  of  him,  when  he  propped  his  wheel 
up  that  way  in  plain  sight.  Then  what  tempted 
him  to  walk  straight  into  the  woods  here?" 

Max  was  standing  there,  musing  after  this  man- 
ner, when  suddenly  he  cocked  up  his  ear  as  though 
to  listen. 

He  had  caught,  far  along  the  road,  the  familiar 
popping  of  an  approaching  motorcycle,  than  which 
there  is  nothing  exactly  similar,  lest  it  be  the  ex- 
haust of  a  gasoline  launch. 

"  That's  Owen,  ten  to  one,"  Max  muttered,  a 
smile  creeping  athwart  his  glum  features,  for  he 
was  ready  to  welcome  company;  "yes,  and  now  I 
can  catch  another  machine  coming  along  after  him, 
perhaps  a  couple.  The  boys  must  have  done  some 
pretty  stiff  riding,  for  new  beginners,  to  catch  up 
on  me  like  this." 

Turning  to  look  down  the  road,  he  was  just  in 
time  to  see  a  rapidly  driven  motorcycle  whirl 


134  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

around  the  bend.  Evidently  Owen  discovered  him 
there  at  once,  for  he  waved  a  hand  to  him. 

Presently  he  came  up  and  joined  Max.  And  since 
the  others  were  discovered  coming  along  in  splen- 
did style,  even  Bandy-legs  having  made  the  turns 
without  an  upset,  thanks  to  the  caution  impressed 
upon  him  beforehand  by  Max,  nothing  was  said  or 
done  until  all  of  them  were  assembled. 

Of  course,  the  three  newcomers  stared  not  to  see 
Steve.  There  was  his  wheel,  and  no  one  could  mis- 
take it ;  but  what  had  become  of  the  rider,  who  had 
played  his  part  in  the  exciting  little  drama  with 
such  remarkable  success? 

"What's  become  of  him,  Max?"  asked  Bandy- 
legs,  as  he  looked  first  at  the  abandoned  motorcycle 
and  then  stared  at  their  leader. 

"Y-y-yes,  that's  what  we  want  to  k-k-know," 
Toby  went  on. 

"Say,  Steve,  show  a  leg  here;  what  ails  you?" 
Bandy-legs  called  out,  just  as  if  he  fancied  that  the 
other  were  hiding,  to  play  a  silly  trick  on  them. 

When  his  demand  failed  to  bring  any  sign  of  the 
missing  one,  Bandy-legs  began  to  look  frightened. 

"  Say,  was  he  smashed,  after  all,  and  are  you 
trying  to  break  it  to  us  by  degrees,  so  we  can  stand 
the  shock,  Max?"  he  demanded,  turning  on  the 
other. 

For  reply  Max  simply  pointed  to  the  wheel  that 
stood  there  intact;  and  Bandy-legs  understood  im- 
mediately. 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  135 

"  Why,  of  course,  I  ought  to  'a'  known  that,"  he 
declared.  "  He  brought  the  bally  old  duck  to  a 
standstill  himself,  didn't  he  ?  And  must  have  stood 
her  there  in  the  bargain.  But  where  is  he  keeping 
himself,  that's  what?" 

"  Max  has  got  an  idea,  I  can  see  that,"  Owen  re- 
marked ;  for  he  knew  the  signs  on  his  cousin's  face 
meant  something. 

"  Then  d-d-do  for  g-g-goodness'  sake  t-t-tell  us ! " 
spoke  up  Toby,  breathlessly. 

"  Hurry  up  your  cakes,  Max ;  I  feel  like  my  head 
was  empty  right  now;  can't  think,  after  making  all 
that  hot  ride,"  Bandy-legs  remarked. 

"  Why,  the  thought  that  came  to  me  was  about 
this,"  began  the  other,  slowly :  "  when  Steve  man- 
aged to  bring  his  runaway  motor  back  under  con- 
trol, and  stop  right  here,  he  stood  the  machine  up 
against  this  tree,  just  as  we  found  it." 

"  Yes,  that's  a  dead-sure  thing,"  muttered  Bandy- 
legs. 

"  I  reckon  he  was  heated  to  the  limit,"  Max  went 
on.  "  The  terrible  excitement,  you  understand, 
would  make  the  sweat  pour  off  him  like  everything. 
And  as  he  stood  on  this  very  spot  where  we  are 
now,  he  heard  something  that  just  tickled  him." 

"I  k-k-know,"  broke  out  Toby;  "running  w-w- 
water !  I  hear  it  n-n-now ! " 

"Sure  thing,"  added  Bandy-legs,  after  his  at- 
tention had  been  called  to  the  fact. 

"  Well,  you  know  that  Steve  has  always  got  his 


136  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

thirst  along  with  him,"  continued  Max ;  "  so  it  would 
be  only  the  natural  thing  for  him  to  make  a  bee- 
line  for  that  same  singing  brook,  with  the  idea  of 
getting  his  fill  of  cool  water." 

"  Say,  makes  me  thirsty  just  to  hear  you  speak 
of  it  that  way,"  declared  Bandy-legs. 

"  Y-y-yes,  that's  s-s-so ;  but  why  don't  he  answer 
when  we  c-c-call  out?  H-h-hope  you  don't  think 
he's  g-g-gone  and  got  d-d-drowned ! " 

Even  Owen  looked  concerned  again.  Max,  how- 
ever, shook  his  head. 

"  Oh,  say,  what  else  will  you  fellows  think  has 
happened  to  Steve?"  he  remarked,  a  trifle  impa- 
tiently. "  As  though  a  wide-awake  fellow  like  that, 
able  to  conquer  a  wild  runaway  motorcycle,  would 
be  apt  to  tumble  in  a  little  creek  and  get  done  up? 
Of  course  I  don't  know  why  Steve  won't  answer  us ; 
but  we'll  soon  be  able  to  find  out,  or  I  miss  my 
guess." 

Max  immediately  turned  his  attention  once  more 
to  the  ground  at  hia  feet.  And  the  others  under- 
stood what  he  had  in  mind. 

"  He's  going  to  track  Steve,  and  see  where  the 
silly  feller  went,"  Bandy-legs  hastened  to  remark. 

"  J-j-just  what  I  was  g-g-going  to  s-s-say,"  Toby 
asserted,  looking  provoked  because  his  vocal  cords 
played  him  so  many  tricks  that  he  could  seldom 
give  voice  to  what  he  was  thinking  before  one  of 
his  comrades  had  gone  and  said  it  for  him. 

"  Hey,  shall  we  leave  the  machines  lying  around 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  137 

here,  Max?"  called  out  the  now  cautious  Bandy- 
legs,  after  his  comrade,  who  was  moving  off  into 
the  woods,  his  head  still  bent  low. 

"  Yes,  nothing  will  hurt  them ;  but  you  might  pull 
mine  off  the  road,  in  case  a  wagon  or  a  car  came 
along,  which  wouldn't  happen  once  in  three  hours, 
I  guess,"  was  the  way  Max  answered. 

And  so  it  came  to  pass  that  the  whole  three  of 
them  followed  after  the  one  who  seemed  capable 
of  following  the  tracks  Steve  had  left  when  he  wan- 
dered away  from  his  stopping  place. 

Max  was  wondering  whether  the  missing  chum 
could  have  become  mixed  in  his  bearings  after  he 
arose  from  getting  a  drink.  That  was  always  pos- 
sible, and  might  account  for  his  wandering  off 
away  from  the  road.  But  Max  knew  only  too  well 
that  it  would  not  answer  for  Steve's  strange  silence 
when  three  times  he,  Max,  had  let  out  a  cheery 
shout,  which  would  undoubtedly  be  well  known  to 
the  other. 

The  mystery  was  not  yet  solved,  even  though  his 
first  surmise,  about  Steve  going  to  get  a  drink, 
proved  true. 

The  trail  was  at  least  straight,  Steve  only  mov- 
ing aside  in  order  to  avoid  contact  with  some  stand- 
ing tree  that  disputed  his  progress.  This  told  Max 
that  his  guess  must  have  been  the  true  one ;  Steve 
knew  what  he  wanted,  and  where  it  lay ;  for  all  the 
while  the  murmur  of  fretting  water  grew  more 


138  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

insistent,  showing  that  the  running  brook  must  be 
very  close  at  hand. 

"  It's  right  ahead  there,  Max !  "  said  Bandy-legs, 
so  worked  up  that  he  just  could  not  keep  silent  very 
long  at  a  stretch ;  "  I  c'n  see  the  alders  that  grow 
along  the  border  in  that  ere  little  open  place  yonder. 
But  I  don't  glimpse  that  chum  of  ours  yet,  do  you, 
Max?" 

Bandy-legs  was  like  many  grown-up  people; 
when  more  or  less  frightened  he  had  to  talk,  just 
as  though  the  sound  of  his  own  voice  helped  to 
keep  up  his  spirits.  And  there  are  others  who 
whistle  when  they  feel  a  chilly  sensation  in  the 
region  of  their  hearts — passing  a  country  grave- 
yard at  the  middle  of  the  night,  for  instance. 

Max  did  not  see  the  first  sign  of  the  one  they 
sought;  but  he  did  not  take  the  trouble  to  answer 
his  companion.  He  was  looking  right  and  left,  half 
expecting  that  Steve  might  suddenly  rise  up  and 
confront  them,  with  a  grin  on  his  face,  possibly  be- 
lieving that  he  had  played  a  smart  joke  on  the  bal- 
ance of  the  Outing  Boys,  though  Max  believed  he 
would  have  had  some  difficulty  in  forgiving  him 
for  it. 

But  three,  four,  five  paces  more  Max  took,  yet 
nothing  happened.  The  singing  brook  was  now 
close  by,  and  he  could  even  glimpse  its  troubled 
waters  in  several  places,  where  the  bank  happened 
to  be  unusually  low,  and  unprotected  by  bushes. 

It  could  hardly  be  possible  that  Steve  was  lying 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  139 

there,  concealed  from  their  view,  unless  he  pur- 
posely crouched  behind  some  tree. 

The  trail  still  led  straight  onward,  as  though  the 
musical  call  of  the  running  water  had  started  Steve 
to  running.  Max  could  tell  this  by  the  way  the  toes 
dug  into  the  ground  now,  quite  different  from  the 
impressions  they  made  in  the  beginning,  over  by 
the  road. 

"  Here  she  lies ! "  sang  out  Bandy-legs ;  "  and 
now,  Max,  show  us  where  he  is ! "  Just  as  if  the 
other  had  declared  his  ability  to  produce  the  miss- 
ing boy,  being  possessed  of  the  powers  of  a  ma- 
gician. 

Max  still  deigned  to  make  no  reply  to  this  dare. 
He  bent  over  and  kept  straight  along,  following 
the  tracks  as  though  bound  to  make  sure  that  Steve 
had  reached  the  brook. 

"  Here's  where  he  dropped  down  on  his  knees  and 
drank  his  fill,"  he  said,  turning  aside  toward  Owen, 
who  was  keeping  close  to  his  elbow,  half  holding 
his  own  breath  with  suspense  and  eagerness. 

"  Yes,  I  can  see  the  plain  impression  of  his  two 
knees,"  replied  the  other,  as  he,  too,  lowered  his 
eyes  to  the  soil  at  the  border  of  the  clear  little 
stream. 

This  was  not  more  than  a  foot  across,  though 
containing  a  fair  amount  of  water  that  possibly  in 
time  found  its  way  down  to  the  Big  Sunflower  or 
the  Elder,  and  eventually  into  the  beautiful  Ever- 
green River  that  passed  the  town  of  Carson. 


140  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

"  Don't  tell  me  he  could  have  drowned  in  that 
little  toy  crick ! "  ejaculated  Bandy-legs,  scornfully. 
"  He  must  have  got  up  again  and  walked  straight 
away  in  the  wrong  direction.  How  about  that, 
Max?" 

But  the  other  was  on  his  knees  by  now.  From 
his  manner  it  was  evident  that  he  had  made  some 
sort  of  new  discovery,  and  which  might  perhaps 
account  for  the  strange  silence  of  Steve  Dowdy. 

They  saw  him  part  the  grass  and  peer  at  certain 
marks  he  had  discovered  there.  Owen,  Toby,  and 
even  the  talkative  Bandy-legs  immediately  became 
deeply  impressed  by  the  grave  manner  in  which 
Max  did  this.  They  seemed  to  guess  through  some 
instinct  that  he  was  on  the  eve  of  announcing  the 
truth  to  them.  And  each  second  of  delay  only 
served  to  add  to  their  nervous  strain. 

"  Oh,  what  do  you  think  it  can  be !  "  said  Bandy- 
legs,  as  he  gripped  Owen  by  the  arm  convulsively. 

"  I  don't  know,  but  hold  your  horses  a  bit  and 
he'll  tell  us,"  replied  the  other,  and  his  manner  told 
that  he  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  his  cousin. 

Toby  said  nothing.  Perhaps  he  had  lost  his 
power  of  speech  entirely  by  reason  of  the  excite- 
ment; or  it  might  be  the  poor  fellow  knew  his  fail- 
ing and  had  the  good  sense  to  hold  his  tongue.  But 
he  was  using  his  eyes  for  all  they  were  worth,  and 
while  his  speech  might  be  defective,  Toby  had  as 
good  a  pair  of  eyes  as  any  fellow  among  the  Outing 
Boys. 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  Ul 

Max  had  by  this  time  apparently  made  up  his 
mind  as  to  the  matter  in  which  he  was  so  deeply 
interested.  He  arose  to  his  feet,  and  when  he 
turned  his  face  full  upon  his  chums  once  more,  they 
saw  that  it  was  flushed. 

Max  was  angry.  Seldom  had  those  fellows  looked 
upon  him  when  he  gave  such  a  positive  exhibition  of 
suddenly  aroused  passion.  He  was  gritting  his 
teeth  together,  as  those  who  possess  strong  natures 
are  apt  to  do  when  trying  to  repress  their  feelings. 

"  This  is  just  too  much,  and  I  won't  stand  for 
it ! "  he  declared,  and  his  words  only  served  to  fur- 
ther mystify  Bandy-legs  and  Toby ;  perhaps  Owen, 
being  keener  of  intellect  and  better  able  to  put  two 
and  two  together,  may  have  been  able  to  give  a 
shrewd  guess  as  to  what  Max  was  referring ;  but  the 
others  only  gaped,  and  looked,  and  waited  for  fur- 
ther explanations  from  their  gifted  leader,  who 
could,  it  seemed,  read  the  signs  of  the  trail,  if  not 
as  well  as  the  famous  old  Leatherstocking  in  the 
Cooper  tales,  at  least  with  some  show  of  under- 
standing. 

"  The  idea  of  our  running  smack  into  that  bunch 
again ;  why,  I  never  heard  the  beat  of  it ! "  Max  was 
saying,  half  to  himself  and  partly  for  their  bene- 
fit. "  I  was  hoping  they'd  gone  miles  away ;  and 
here  the  plagued  old  roads  had  to  come  together 
again,  just  in  time  for  them  to  discover  our  chum 
taking  his  drink,  and  pounce  on  him  while  he  was 
down  flat  on  his  stomach." 


142  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

"  Is  that  really  so !  "  asked  Owen,  angrily.  "  Would 
they  dare  do  a  thing  like  that,  d'ye  think,  Max?" 

"  Well,  some  fellows  did  it,  because  you  can  see 
other  tracks  around  besides  the  ones  Steve  made. 
And  see,  here's  where  he  rolled  about  on  the  ground, 
like  as  not  with  one  of  'em  on  him.  After  this  I'm 
going  to  forget  all  I  ever  said  about  keeping  the 
peace.  They've  got  to  be  taught  a  lesson,  that's 
what!" 

Toby  and  Bandy-legs  stared  harder  than  ever, 
first  at  Max  and  then  at  each  other. 

"  Oh,  my ! "  gasped  the  former,  nor  would  he 
commit  himself  any  further. 

"D'ye  hear  that,  Toby?"  grated  Bandy-legs,  fe- 
rociously; "he  says  Ted  and  his  low-down  crowd 
have  been  around  again  and  jumped  on  our  chum 
Steve.  Like's  not  they've  carried  him  off  a  pris- 
oner, too.  Boys,  this  is  too  much!  We've  got  to 
get  after  that  bunch  with  a  hot  stick,  and  the  sooner 
we  start  the  better  it  will  please  me." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TOBY  ON   GUARD. 

"  I  RATHER  think  we  all  feel  about  the  same  as 
you  do,  Bandy-legs,"  remarked  Owen,  who  was  con- 
siderably worked  up  for  a  fellow  who,  as  a  rule, 
managed  to  keep  his  temper  in  a  way  that  always 
mystified  impulsive  Steve. 

"  Then  let's  go  right  away,"  added  the  boy  with 
the  short  legs ;  "  every  minute  we  hang  around  here, 
gassing  and  making  threats,  is  just  so  much  time 
wasted.  Why,  we  ought  to  be  warm  on  the  trail 
right  now." 

Max  nodded  his  head  as  he  went  on  to  say : 

"  That's  right  for  you,  Bandy-legs,  and  we  can't 
get  off  any  too  soon  to  please  me ;  but  you  seem  to 
forget  something." 

"  Huh,  what's  that?  "  demanded  the  other,  quickly. 

"  The  wheels,"  Max  replied. 

"What  of  'em?" 

"  You  notice  that  those  fellows  went  through  the 
woods,  and  if  you  look  sharp  you'll  see  that  over 
there  it's  a  regular  jungle.  I'd  like  to  see  you 
pushing  that  heavy  machine  of  yours  through  that 
mess,  over  roots  and  everything,"  Max  went  on. 

143 


144  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

Bandy-legs  shrugged  his  broad  shoulders. 

"  All  right,"  he  chirped  immediately ;  "  that  means 
we've  just  got  to  leave  'em  behind  for  a  little  spell." 

"  Five  wheels  like  these  are  worth  a  heap  of 
money;  and  a  pack  of  Wandering  Willies  in  the 
shape  of  hoboes  would  think  they  were  a  bully  good 
find.  No,  all  of  us  can't  go,  that's  sure,"  and  Max 
shut  his  jaws  together  in  a  way  that  meant  his  mind 
was  fully  made  up. 

Both  Toby  and  Bandy-legs  looked  woe-begone  at 
once.  They  understood  that  this  new  arrangement 
meant  one  of  them  must  hang  out  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  precious  wheels,  while  the  balance  of 
the  crowd  hunted  the  kidnappers  of  poor  Steve. 

Max  had  a  way  of  settling  all  such  problems 
off-hand. 

"  Here,"  he  said,  picking  up  a  couple  of  small 
twigs,  one  being  longer  than  the  other,  and  con- 
cealing them  in  the  palm  of  his  hand ;  "  you  draw, 
Bandy-legs,  and  remember,  the  shorter  one  stays." 

"  Oh,  all  right !  "  grumbled  the  boy  addressed,  ac- 
customed to  rendering  obedience  to  the  one  they 
had  elected  as  leader;  "I'm  willing  to  take  my 
chances,  but  I  did  want  to  be  along  the  worst  kind. 
I  owe  that  Ted  Shafter  more'n  one  kick  for  what 
he's  done  against  me  in  the  past.  Hold  'em  up, 
Max,  and  here  goes." 

He  did  not  hesitate  in  the  least,  but  as  if  his  mind 
had  been  made  up  to  accept  the  result,  no  matter 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  145 

how  discouraging  it  might  be,  selected  one  of  the 
sprouts. 

Max  immediately  held  up  the  other,  to  show  that 
Bandy-legs'  luck  had  not  deserted  him,  apparently. 
But  had  he  known  what  was  going  to  happen,  per- 
haps Bandy-legs  might  not  have  set  up  such  a 
triumphant  laugh. 

"What  d'ye  think  about  that,  now!"  he  cried. 
"After  all,  it's  Toby  has  to  stay  behind,  and  lose 
all  the  fun.  Come  on,  fellers,  let's  get  busy.  We're 
losing  seconds  that  ought  to  mean  a  heap  to  us. 
Max,  get  your  peepers  set  on  the  trail,  and  let's 
see  what  you  can  do.  Remember,  we've  got  faith 
in  you,  old  boy !  " 

Toby  saw  his  three  chums  go  off  with  a  sinking 
of  the  heart.  He  did  seem  to  always  get  the  small 
end  of  the  stick  when  it  came  to  a  question  of  luck. 
Why  could  not  Bandy-legs  have  drawn  the  shorter 
one  and  remained  behind? 

Max  seemed  capable  of  following  the  trail  left  by 
those  who  had  made  Steve  accompany  them  with 
little  trouble.  But  the  fact  of  the  matter  was,  that 
Steve  had  shown  uncommon  good  sense  in  the  mat- 
ter and  helped  to  make  things  easy  for  his  pursu- 
ing chums. 

His  captors  had  probably  caused  him  to  remain 
silent  when  Max  called  out,  since  they  could  hardly 
have  been  beyond  hearing  of  his  shout;  but  they 
did  not  know  that  Steve,  deprived  of  the  power  of 


140  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

speech,  was  taking  the  greatest  delight  in  dragging 
his  feet  as  he  walked,  just  as  though  he  had  been 
lamed  in  his  wild  ride. 

But  Steve  had  another  motive  in  doing  this.  It 
was  to  leave  as  broad  a  trail  as  possible,  to  assist 
Max  when  the  tracker  of  the  Outing  Boys  got  down 
to  work.  For,  of  course,  Steve  must  have  felt 
positive  that  his  friends  would  leave  no  stone  un- 
turned in  their  efforts  to  find  and  rescue  him. 

Poor  Toby  heaved  a  big  sigh  ?,s  he  saw  his  three 
friends  vanish  from  sight  in  the  thick  undergrowth, 
where  the  trees  grew  close  together.  He  did  hate 
the  worst  way  to  be  left  behind ;  not  that  Toby  was 
in  the  least  bit  afraid,  because  the  boy  happened  to 
be  far  from  timid;  but  he  believed  the  others  were 
bound  to  have  a  "  bully  good  time,"  as  Bandy-legs 
would  have  expressed  it ;  while  naturally  he,  as  the 
guardian  of  the  wheels,  could  only  sit  there  and 
"  suck  his  thumbs,"  so  to  speak. 

For  a  short  time  after  the  others  had  vanished 
from  his  sight  Toby,  by  straining  his  ears,  believed 
he  could  catch  certain  little  rustling  sounds  that 
were  apt  to  mark  their  passage  through  the  under- 
growth. 

How  eagerly  he  listened  to  these  slight  noises, 
because  they  told  of  the  presence  of  his  com- 
rades. Finally  even  these  signs  died  completely 
away  and  Toby  was  surrounded  by  complete  silence. 

He  threw  himself  down  in  the  bushes  to  reflect 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  147 

and  wait  until  his  friends  once  more  came  along. 
Of  course,  his  first  thought  was  of  Steve  and  he 
did  hope  most  earnestly  that  the  abductors  might 
be  overtaken. 

After  that  it  was  only  natural  for  Toby  to  let 
his  mind  become  occupied  with  his  own  affairs, 
which  were  certainly  in  rather  a  mixed-up  condi- 
tion. Still,  since  his  talk  with  Max,  Toby  had  be- 
gun to  draw  in  fresh  hope.  Perhaps  Mr.  Hastings, 
when  he  went  to  the  city,  might  make  some  dis- 
coveries that  would  bring  about  a  change — perhaps 
there  was  a  will  to  be  seen  in  the  place  where  such 
documents  were  recorded,  and  the  truth  might  be 
made  known! 

What  would  cross  old  Uncle  Nathan  say  when 
he  found  out  that  his  affairs  were  being  investi- 
gated by  those  who  had  taken  an  interest  in  the 
orphan?  Toby,  being  only  a  boy,  and  a  much 
abused  one  at  that,  could  not  be  expected  to  feel 
any  great  amount  of  respect  or  sympathy  for  the 
miserly  old  man  who  had  treated  him  so  badly 
ever  since  he  could  remember.  And,  hence,  it  was 
only  natural  that  he  should  softly  chuckle  at  the 
picture  he  mentally  drew  of  Uncle  Nathan's  aston- 
ishment. 

What  was  that?  It  sounded  like  an  echo  to  his 
gurgle  of  amusement ;  and  yet  that  could  hardly  be, 
because  he  was  sure  he  had  made  no  sound  loud 
enough  to  be  heard  a  dozen  feet  away. 

22 


148  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

Perhaps  it  was  some  gray  squirrel  frisking 
around  on  the  ground  among  the  few  dead  leaves, 
trying  to  unearth  a  store  of  hickory  nuts  he  had 
hidden  last  fall,  and  forgotten  about  until  now. 

Toby  raised  himself  on  one  elbow  and  listened. 
He  was  simply  curious  to  know  the  origin  of  that 
sound  which,  to  his  imagination,  had  seemed  to 
resemble  a  partly  suppressed  human  sneeze. 

A  minute,  two,  three  of  them  crept  along.  Toby 
could  hear  that  saucy  blue  jay  scolding  his  mate 
over  in  the  pine  top  not  far  away.  And  the  in- 
dustrious woodpecker  was  hammering  away  at  a 
decayed  tree  top,  searching  for  some  fat  juicy  grub 
that,  in  its  innocence,  might  step  to  the  front  door 
of  its  house  to  see  who  was  making  such  a  loud 
noise,  only  to  be  gobbled  up  by  a  pair  of  ready 
mandibles. 

Something  was  certainly  moving  near  by.  Toby 
heard  a  queer  shuffling  sound,  and  was  even  able 
to  locate  the  identical  quarter  from  whence  it 
came. 

The  boy  felt  a  sensation  like  the  prickling  of 
innumerable  pins  that  seemed  to  pass  all  over  his 
body.  That  was  doubtless  his  idea  of  a  genuine 
thrill. 

Immediately  he  began  to  think  of  all  manner  of 
strange  things,  from  a  wildcat  to  a  boa  constrictor; 
although,  of  course,  he  knew  that  there  were  none 
of  these  last  to  be  met  with  in  North  America,  un- 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  149 

less  they  had  escaped  from  a  traveling  show  and 
menagerie,  such  as  had  visited  Carson  only  two 
weeks  before,  giving  the  boys  of  the  town  something 
to  talk  about  for  days. 

Yes,  there  was  no  longer  any  doubt  in  Toby's 
mind  but  that  something  was  moving  over  there ! 

He  raised  his  head  just  a  little  further,  being 
very  careful  to  make  no  move  calculated  to  attract 
attention.  And  now  he  could  see  that  the  long 
grass  was  shaking,  as  the  creeping  object  parted  it. 

"  G-g-gosh !  "  was  what  Toby  whispered  to  him- 
self;  and  that  one  word  seemed  to  express  all  the 
astonishment,  alarm  and  curiosity  that  boy  could 
ever  betray. 

As  he  watched  with  strained  eyes  he  began  to 
make  out  the  uncertain  proportions  of  the  object 
that  was  moving  forward  toward  the  very  spot 
where  the  five  beautiful  motorcycles  were  clustered. 
And  Toby  saw  that  in  all  probability,  if  the  un- 
known kept  straight  on,  he  must  pass  very  close 
to  where  he  himself  crouched,  his  presence  either 
unknown  or  unheeded. 

Then  suddenly  a  bright  idea  flashed  into  the 
mind  of  Toby.  Really,  it  brought  such  a  relief 
along  with  it  that  he  shook  a  little  with  ailent 
laughter. 

Why,  of  course,  how  silly  it  was  of  him  to  think 
of  anything  else.  To  be  sure,  this  must  be  a  part  of 
the  clever  plan  of  those  unscrupulous  Shafter  boys 


150  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

to  do  their  rivals  an  evil  turn.  Toby  had  a  mighty 
poor  opinion  of  the  whole  lot  and,  like  Bandy-legs, 
would  hardly  put  anything  past  them. 

So,  as  he  lay  there,  he  reasoned  it  out  somewhat 
on  this  plan :  Two  of  the  other  fellows  had  pounced 
on  Steve,  who  had  been  led  away  a  prisoner,  but 
with  some  definite  purpose  in  view.  And  Toby  be- 
lieved he  had  discovered  the  true  reason  for  the 
abduction.  It  was  to  draw  the  Outing  Boys  off  in 
pursuit! 

Such  a  move  would  likely  leave  their  motorcycles 
unprotected;  and  Ted,  who  had  doubtless  been 
hovering  near  by,  intended  doing  the  precious 
wheels  some  damage,  in  order  to  injure  the  pros- 
pects for  a  pleasant  day  on  the  part  of  his  rivals. 

It  all  seemed  to  fit  in  nicely,  according  to  Toby's 
way  of  looking  at  things.  To  be  sure,  he  wondered 
why  Ted,  if  he  thought  all  of  them  had  gone  away, 
should  take  this  bother  of  creeping  up  so  carefully. 
But  then  that  might  only  be  the  other's  way  of  ac- 
complishing things. 

What  ought  he  to  do  about  it? 

One  thing  sure,  Toby  was  determined  that  he 
would  never  lie  there  and  see  any  damage  come  to 
those  new  motorcycles,  which  he  and  his  chums 
depended  on  to  give  them  an  unlimited  amount  of 
pleasure  during  the  long  vacation  that  had  hardly 
more  than  started. 

Had  the  entire   Shafter  crowd  shown  up,  stilJ 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  151 

Toby  would  have  defied  them,  and  done  his  level 
best  to  protect  the  wheels.  And  since  this  was 
only  a  single  fellow,  even  though  the  dreaded  Ted 
himself,  he  would  not  show  the  white  feather. 

Then  an  idea  came  sifting  through  his  mind  as 
he  continued  to  crouch  there  and  listen  to  the  in- 
creasing rustle  that  announced  the  coming  of  the 
unknown. 

Suppose  he  found  a  good  chance  to  spring  on 
the  back  of  the  crawler,  would  he  not  be  silly  to 
decline  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity? 

No  sooner  had  this  brilliant  idea  come  to  Toby 
than  he  set  his  teeth  firmly  together  and  resolved  to 
do  his  prettiest,  in  order  to  give  the  sneaking  Ted 
the  surprise  of  his  life. 

Inch  by  inch  did  Toby  begin  to  raise  himself. 
His  idea  was  to  roll  over  on  his  stomach  and  then 
work  his  body  upward  until  he  was  really  on  his 
toes,  though  still  crouching  close  to  the  ground. 

When  he  had  finally  succeeded  in  accomplishing 
this  difficult  feat,  he  realized  that  he  was  not  going 
to  have  a  great  while  to  wait  before  putting  his 
little  scheme  into  practice.  Like  many  of  the  other 
boys  in  Carson,  Toby  had  in  the  past  been  bullied 
more  or  less  by  the  hulking  chap,  Ted  Shafter. 
He  had  even  feared  the  rough  fellow  at  times ;  and 
then  again  resolved  that  some  fine  day  he  would 
try  to  give  him  the  beating  he  deserved. 

And  now  the  chance  seemed  to  have  come,  al- 


152  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

though  it  required  all  the  nerve  which  Toby  could 
summon  to  carry  him  through. 

He  had  seen  a  cat  crouch  in  order  to  spring  on 
a  sparrow,  and  noted  the  fine  way  in  which  Tabby 
would  gather  her  muscles  for  the  final  jump.  So 
Toby  tried  to  imitate  the  bird-catcher  as  he  pre- 
pared to  make  his  leap  upon  the  back  of  the  creep- 
ing bully  of  Carson. 

Toby  did  not  dare  raise  his  head  to  look,  lest  he 
in  turn  be  discovered;  so  he  had  to  use  his  ears 
alone  in  order  to  inform  him  when  the  other  was 
close  enough — that,  and  the  waving  of  the  tall  grass. 

Finally  the  decisive  moment  arrived,  and  Toby 
launched  himself  forward  with  all  his  energy.  No 
doubt  it  was  a  splendid  leap,  that  would  do  him 
credit  when  the  story  was  afterwards  told  around 
some  camp  fire,  at  which  he  sat  with  his  chums. 

Toby  landed  fairly  and  squarely  upon  the  back 
of  the  prowler,  pinning  him  to  the  ground  with  the 
force  of  his  onset  and  causing  him  to  give  vent  to 
a  grunt,  as  the  wind  was  forced  from  his  body  at 
the  same  time. 

But  Toby  had  himself  received  a  tremendous 
shock. 

He  made  a  discovery  that  must  have  added  con- 
siderably to  the  thrills  that  were  chasing  all  over 
him.  Instead  of  the  bully  of  Carson,  he  found  him- 
self sprawled  upon  the  back  of  a  small  but  vigor- 
ous man;  and  one  who  was  dressed  in  the  well- 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  153 

fcnown  striped  clothes  which  Toby  had  once  seen 
on  the  State  prisoners  over  at  the  penitentiary, 
when  his  uncle  had  taken  him  to  town  to  a  strange 
lawyer  to  sign  some  paper  a  year  or  so  back. 

It  must  be  an  escaped  convict  who  had  been  bent 
on  stealing  one  of  their  wheels. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

FOLLOWING  THE  TRAIL. 

MEANWHILE  the  other  three  Outing  Boys  were 
pushing  along  through  the  timber,  bent  upon  over- 
taking the  abductors  of  Steve,  if  possible,  and  ef- 
fecting his  rescue. 

Of  course  they  understood  that  it  must  be  in  a 
spirit  of  meanness  that  those  fellows  had  carried 
their  chum  off,  and  not  because  they  really  meant 
to  do  him  any  bodily  injury.  The  disappearance 
of  Steve  would  of  course  put  an  end  to  the  good 
times  the  little  party  expected  to  have;  and  this 
was  what  would  doubtless  appeal  to  such  vindictive 
fellows  as  the  Shafters. 

Perhaps  Max,  now,  had  looked  a  little  deeper 
into  the  matter  than  the  rest  of  them.  His  de- 
cision about  not  leaving  the  motorcycles  unpro- 
tected would  indicate  such  an  idea.  He  may  have 
guessed  the  same  thing  that  later  on  came  to  Toby, 
as  he  lay  there  in  the  long  grass  and  heard  the 
rustling  that  told  of  a  prowler's  approach. 

Max  found  little  if  any  difficulty  in  following  the 
trail.  His  two  comrades  from  time  to  time  whis 

154 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  155 

pered  to  each  other  concerning  their  admiration  be- 
cause of  his  prowess ;  but  really  Max  did  not  take 
much  credit  for  what  he  was  doing.  Steve,  good, 
wise,  far-seeing  Steve,  had  made  things  so  easy  for 
him  by  dragging  his  feet  from  time  to  time. 

The  one  thing  that  puzzled  Max  was  how  Ted  and 
his  fellows  had  happened  to  be  in  the  vicinity  when 
Steve  pushed  into  the  woods  in  order  to  get  a 
drink.  It  was  next  door  to  a  miracle,  Max  decided; 
but  then  he  knew  how  often  such  things  happen, 
that  are  really  beyond  any  explanation. 

Perhaps,  now,  the  other  road  was  not  far  away, 
and  the  Shafter  crowd  had  stopped  to  rest  up  a  bit, 
when  they,  too,  caught  the  gurgle  of  that  running 
water,  making  them  remember  the  fact  that  they 
were  exceedingly  dry  and  thirsty. 

And  in  getting  a  drink  they  had  caught  sight  of 
Steve  pushing  his  innocent  way  along  through  the 
undergrowth  in  the  direction  of  the  streamlet. 

Of  course,  the  sight  of  him  suggested  some  mean 
idea;  which  they  started  to  carry  out  while  Steve 
was  lying  flat  on  his  stomach,  drinking  his  fill  at  the 
little  brook  and  never  dreaming  of  danger. 

And  now  they  were  purposely  making  it  an  ob- 
ject to  keep  on  through  the  dense  timber,  although 
their  own  wheels  were  not  far  away.  They  wished 
to  give  Max  and  the  others  a  long  hunt  for  their 
missing  chum ;  who  would  possibly  be  left  tied  to  a 


150  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL, 

tree  after  Ted  had  considered  that  he  had  enjoyed 
his  society  quite  enough  and  jeered  at  him  to  his 
heart's  content. 

Bandy-legs  brought  up  the  rear,  though  he  man- 
aged to  keep  close  to  Owen. 

As  usual  it  was  very  hard  for  the  boy  to  keep 
still.  Bandy-legs  liked  to  hear  himself  talk,  the 
others  always  declared;  and  only  under  the  most 
severe  threats  could  he  be  kept  silent.  It  was  pun- 
ishment for  him  to  hold  his  tongue. 

So  now  as  they  pushed  along  at  quite  a  good 
pace,  from  time  to  time  Bandy-legs  would  manage 
to  say  something.  Owen  cautioned  him  about  talk- 
ing aloud,  and  hence  he  would  try  to  whisper, 
though  as  a  rule  it  ended  in  a  hoarse  croak;  for 
Bandy-legs  was  so  excited  it  affected  his  vocal 
cords. 

Now  and  then  Max  would  find  himself  up  against 
a  little  puzzle.  The  trail  appeared  to  vanish,  as 
the  ground  became  unusually  hard  or  stony. 

At  such  times  he  was  compelled  to  exercise  his 
judgment,  and  in  every  instance  this  seemed  to  hold 
good.  But  then,  of  course,  those  ahead  were  green- 
horns, and  had  no  idea  as  to  how  a  trail  might  be 
blinded  when  the  presence  of  trackers  was  sus- 
pected. Those  hard  places  would  have  afforded 
just  the  chance  needed  in  order  to  throw  a  trailer 
off  the  scent. 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  157 

But  they  were  heading  in  almost  a  straight  line, 
as  though  a  little  afraid  on  their  own  account,  lest 
they  get  lost.  This  made  it  easy  for  the  boy  who 
led  the  pursuit. 

"  How  many  are  there  got  hold  of  Steve,  Max  ?  " 
Bandy-legs  asked,  after  they  had  been  going  on 
so  for  quite  some  time. 

"  Just  two,"  replied  the  other,  over  his  shoulder ; 
for  he  thought  questions  of  this  nature  ought  to 
be  answered. 

"  And  say,  can  you  tell  who  they  are !  "  demanded 
the  puffing  boy  with  the  short  legs,  who  was  having 
the  time  of  his  life  trying  to  keep  up  with  the 
others,  since  he  had  to  take  three  steps  to  their 
two. 

"  I  think  it's  Toots  and  Beggs,"  Max  went  on  to 
say. 

"  Of  course,  you've  got  good  reason  to  believe 
that,  Max?" 

"Well,  I've  paid  some  attention  to  the  kind  of 
shoes  they  wear,  particularly  Ted,  and  he  doesn't 
seem  to  be  along  with  the  party  right  now,"  was  the 
way  Max  continued  to  impart  information. 

"But  whatever  are  they  goin'  to  do  with  our 
chum,  toting  him  away  up  here  in  the  woods  ? " 
grumbled  Bandy-legs,  as  he  picked  himself  up, 
after  tripping  over  a  root  that  managed  to  get  in 
the  way  of  his  feet. 


158  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

"  Yes,  Max,  tell  us,  if  you've  got  any  sort  of  idea ; 
I've  bothered  my  head  more'n  a  little  about  that 
same  thing  myself,"  Owen  remarked. 

Max  fell  back  a  trifle  so  that  they  could  join  him, 
though  he  would  not  consider  such  a  thing  as  wast- 
ing time  by  stopping. 

"I  have  been  running  it  over  in  my  mind,  f el- 
Sows,"  he  admitted ;  "  and  this  is  the  best  I  can 
<nake  out  of  it.  Ted  Shafter  knows  something 
about  this  country  up  here,  because  he  has  an 
uncle  living  in  this  region,  I  understand,  and  more 
than  a  few  times  he's  been  sent  up  here  by  his 
father  to  visit,  just  to  get  him  away  from  Carson 
till  the  bad  odor  of  some  of  his  pranks  blew  over." 

"  Say,  that's  right,  Max,  even  if  I  didn't  think 
of  it  before  you  spoke,"  declared  Bandy-legs, 
eagerly.  "  I  know  that  for  a  fact,  and  his  uncle's 
name  is  Benners,  too.  Funny  how  you  always  think 
of  everything,  while  the  rest  of  the  bunch  is  half 
asleep." 

"  Well,  my  idea  is  that  these  fellows  know  where 
they  are  aiming  for,  and  that  Ted  has  coached 
them.  Perhaps  right  now  he's  gone  on  ahead  to 
wait  for  them ;  but,  anyhow,  I'm  dead  sure  one  of 
these  fellows  is  carrying  a  compass,  because  he 
never  heads  any  way  but,  due  north.  No  boy  could 
do  that  in  the  woods  unless  he  was  experienced  and 
up  to  snuff." 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

"  Then  you  reckon  they're  bound  for  the  farm 
of  Ted's  uncle?"  pursued  Bandy-legs. 

"  They  might  have  been  when  they  set  out,"  Max 
went  on  to  say ;  "  but  right  now  I've  an  idea  it's 
some  other  place  they  expect  to  reach.  Perhaps 
there's  some  old  cabin  in  the  woods  Ted  knows 
about.  He  might  have  started  the  other  fellows  on 
ahead,  and  they  just  ran  across  our  chum  through 
dumb  luck.  And,  now,  that's  only  guessing  on  my 
part.  I'm  just  as  much  in  the  dark  as  the  rest  of 
you  fellows." 

"  Bet  you  it's  mighty  near  the  facts,"  declared 
Bandy-legs.  "  It  does  beat  the  Dutch  how  you  can 
cleave  close  to  the  line  right  along!  Cabin  in  the 
woods,  eh?  Looky  here,  come  to  think  of  it,  I  re- 
member hearing  Shack  Beggs  tell  about  the  fun 
him  and  Amiel  and  Ted  used  to  have  in  just  such 
a  place,  the  time  they  came  up  here  together,  and 
stayed  a  whole  month.  Ted's  uncle  was  mighty 
glad  to  take  the  lot  to  town  in  his  wagon  in  the  end ; 
they  nearly  set  him  crazy  with  their  cuttin'  up." 

"Well,  that  ought  to  do  for  now,  Bandy-legs," 
remarked  Max.  "  Suppose  we  stop  talking  for  a 
while  and  pay  attention  to  business." 

"  Just  tell  me  first,  please,  Max,  is  the  trail  get- 
tin'  any  warmer,  and  do  you  reckon  we're  comin' 
up  with  the  tough  lot?"  the  other  pleaded. 

"  All  I  can  say  is,  we  seem  to  be  holding  our  own, 


160  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

which  ought  to  look  good  enough  for  a  party  of 
tenderfeet." 

Max  increased  the  distance  between  himself  and 
the  others,  as  though  in  this  way  he  wanted  to  let 
Bandy-legs  know  that  he  must  not  distract  his  at- 
tention any  longer.  If  he  must  occasionally  say 
something  in  a  whisper,  then  Owen  would  have  to 
stand  for  it. 

And  in  due  time  the  boy  with  the  short  legs  re- 
alized that  he  was  weakening  himself  in  wasting 
so  much  breath.  Gradually,  then,  he  ceased  to  even 
speak  in  a  low  tone  and  simply  grumbled  whenever 
he  fell  over  a  clinging  vine  or  out-cropping  root. 

Ten  minutes  later  and  Max  stopped  short.  As 
he  did  so  he  held  up  his  finger  in  a  warning  way 
that  excited  Bandy-legs  to  the  limit.  Evidently, 
Max  had  made  some  sort  of  discovery;  for  after 
bringing  them  to  a  halt,  he  dropped  down  behind 
the  screen  of  bushes  as  though  desirous  of  hiding. 

Of  course  the  others  followed  suit.  And  then 
both  of  them  started  to  creep  forward,  with  the 
intention  of  joining  Max.  They  were  filled  with 
curiosity  and  wondering  what  their  leader  had 
seen. 

"  What  is  it!  "  whispered  Bandy-legs,  close  to  the 
ear  of  Max. 

"Look  yonder  and  you'll  see,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Cricky,  a  cabin,  as  big  as  life ! "  exclaimed 
Bandy-legs.  "  And  a  tumble-down  old  shack,  too ! 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  161 

Bet  you  anything  that's  just  the  place  I  heard  them 
fellers  talkin'  about.  They  camped  out  in  it  for 
a  whole  week,  cooked  their  meals  and  played  In- 
jun, they  said.  Well,  just  to  think  of  our  follerin' 
the  trail  all  the  way  up  here ! " 

While  saying  all  this  Bandy-legs  was  at  least 
smart  enough  to  confine  himself  to  a  whisper.  But 
even  then  Owen  thought  he. ought  to  be  warned, 
and  so  he  told  him  to  keep  quiet. 

"  But  I  saw  Shack  right  then ! "  the  other  per- 
sisted in  adding. 

"  Oh,  they're  on  deck,  all  right,"  remarked  Max, 
carefully  toning  down  his  own  voice,  "  the  whole 
three  of  'em  most  likely." 

"  And  have  they  got  our  chum  in  that  old  shack  f  " 
asked  Bandy-legs,  whom  it  was  next  to  impossible 
to  shut  off. 

"  I  wouldn't  be  surprised  a  bit,"  replied  Max, 
shaking  his  head  as  he  gave  Owen  a  suggestive 
look,  as  much  as  to  say  the  task  of  quieting  Bandy- 
legs  was  more  than  he  could  manage. 

"Then  why  don't  we  rush  up  and  get  him 
away?"  demanded  the  other,  showing  some  of  the 
same  impatience  Steve  usually  monopolized. 

"  Oh,  lots  of  reasons,"  answered  Max. 

"  Name  'em ! "  continued  Bandy-legs,  belliger- 
ently. 

"  First  place  they  could  see  us  coming,  I  reckon, 
and  shut  the  door  in  our  faces.  Then  we'd  be  up 


162  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

a  stump,  with  Steve  a  prisoner  in  the  shack,  along 
with  Ted  and  his  crowd,"  Max  obligingly  remarked. 

"  Any  other  reason  ?  "  persisted  the  other. 

Max  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  sighed.  Evi- 
dently he  could  not  satisfy  this  hungry  questioner 
except  by  a  full  explanation.  Sometimes  the  short- 
est way  across  is  to  take  heroic  measures.  Alexan- 
der cut  the  Gordian  knot,  Max  remembered,  history 
told. 

"We  want  to  know  more  about  what  they're 
doing  here,"  he  continued.  "  There  are  three  of 
them,  you  remember;  and  down  in  Carson  they've 
got  the  reputation  of  being  the  handiest  set  with 
their  fists  in  the  whole  town.  Now,  they  might 
make  it  interesting  for  us  three  if  we  tried  to  pitch 
right  in  and  tackle  the  bunch.  My  idea  is  to  try 
and  use  strategy." 

"  Whew,  that  sounds  good ! "  muttered  Bandy- 
legs,  visibly  impressed  by  what  Max  had  just  told 
him.  "  Beckon  I  c'n  give  a  good  guess  what  that 
means.  Ketch  one  of  'em  asleep  and  make  him  a 
prisoner.  That'd  reduce  the  crowd  to  a  couple, 
and  the  three  of  us  ought  to  make  good  then.  Is 
that  it,  Max?" 

"Just  about;  and  now  please  let  me  alone, 
Bandy-legs ;  I  want  to  think  up  a  scheme  to  spring 
on  those  chaps.  Listen  to  how  they  are  laughing 
inside  the  cabin.  1  hope  now  they  don't  try  to 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  163 

torture  poor  Steve  any  by  sticking  sharp  sticks 
into  his  legs.  That  Ted  is  almost  as  bad  as  any 
wild  Indian  I  ever  heard  of." 

"  Me  to  find  a  good  club  right  away,"  muttered 
the  aroused  Bandy-legs,  beginning  to  cast  about 
him  without  loss  of  time,  and  it  was  evident  that 
the  last  words  of  Max  had  thrilled  the  boy,  because 
he  had  a  sincere  liking  for  Steve  and  was  ready  to 
go  to  any  extreme  in  order  to  stand  up  for  this 
chum. 

Five  minutes  later  Max  turned  around  and  they 
could  see  that  something  akin  to  a  broad  smile  had 
settled  on  his  face. 

"  I  think  I've  got  it,"  he  said,  in  a  low  tone,  as 
the  others  crept  closer  in  order  to  hear  what  he 
had  to  say.  "  We  can  thank  our  enemies  for  the 
idea,  because  it  was  suggested  by  what  they  did  to 
Steve.  Look  close  by  and  you'll  see  that  there's 
a  fine  little  spring  bubbling  up  out  of  the  ground. 
Long  ago  it  used  to  supply  water  for  the  people 
who  lived  in  this  cabin.  And  sooner  or  later  Ted 
himself,  or  one  of  the  others,  will  be  sure  to  come 
down  here  to  get  a  drink." 

"  Oh,  fine ! "  chuckled  Owen,  who  caught  the  idea 
immediately. 

"It's  sure  a  jim-dandy  idea!"  echoed  Bandy- 
legs  ;  "  all  we  got  to  do  is  to  lie  low  and  wait  till 
he  bends  down.  Then  his  name  is  Dennis,  if  ever 
you  let  me  get  just  one  good  crack  at  him  with  this 

23 


164  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

hickory  club,"  and  he  waved  before  them  a  stout 
cudgel  he  had  discovered. 

But  Max  shook  his  head  at  the  impulsive  one. 

"  All  we  want  to  do  is  to  rescue  Steve,"  he  said, 
impressively ;  "  though  possibly  we  may  have  to  be 
a  bit  rough  about  it;  and  now  let's  hide  ourselves 
and  wait." 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE  SHOE  ON  THE  OTHER  FOOT. 

APPARENTLY  Max  was  a  pretty  fine  prophet,  for 
before  ten  minutes  had  passed  by  some  one  came 
along  the  trail  from  the  old  cabin,  evidently  with 
the  intention  of  slacking  his  thirst,  for  the  day 
was  hot. 

It  turned  out  to  be  Ted  Shafter  himself,  just  as 
Max  had  more  than  half  expected  would  be  the  case. 

He  seemed  to  have  no  suspicion  of  danger,  but 
sauntering  along,  threw  himself  down  beside  the 
spring.  Then  he  lay  flat,  the  better  to  sup  up  some 
of  the  clear,  sparkling  water. 

This  was  just  the  chance  the  three  lurking  Out- 
ing Boys  wanted.  Max  led  off,  and  threw  his 
weight  on  Ted,  pinning  the  astonished  fellow  to  the 
ground.  Nor  did  Max  stop  there,  but  managed  to 
get  hold  of  Ted's  throat,  so  that  he  could  partly 
choke  off  any  outcry  the  other  might  attempt  to 
make. 

Both  Owen  and  Bandy-legs  came  to  his  assist- 
ance, and  between  them,  with  much  threatening, 
they  succeeded  in  tying  Ted  up  and  fastening  a 

165 


166  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

handkerchief  across  his  mouth  in  such  a  way  that 
he  could  not  yell. 

Ted  was  about  as  furious  a  fellow  as  they  had 
ever  seen.  He  realized,  after  all,  the  tables  had 
been  smartly  turned,  and  that  instead  of  their  hav- 
ing the  laugh  on  Max  and  his  chums,  the  shoe  was 
on  the  other  foot. 

Bandy-legs  danced  around  the  prisoner,  shaking 
his  war  club  in  a  menacing  manner,  as  if  to  warn 
the  other  what  he  might  expect  if  he  gave  them 
any  more  trouble. 

"  And  now  let's  get  up  to  the  cabin  and  see  what 
they've  done  with  our  Steve,"  Max  went  on  to  say, 
for  he  was  anxious  to  learn  all. 

"Better  hunt  up  something,  too,"  suggested 
Bandy-legs,  as  he  thrust  his  club  up  close  to  the 
faces  of  his  chums  for  their  admiration. 

"  Not  half  a  bad  idea,  eh,  Owen,"  remarked  Max ; 
and  thereupon  they  looked  about  until  the  whole 
three  had  armed  themselves  in  a  similar  fashion. 

Then  the  advance  was  begun.  As  the  cabin  was 
close  by,  and  none  of  the  inmates  seemed  to  suspect 
their  presence,  there  was  no  difficulty  encountered 
in  advancing  upon  the  run-down  old  building. 

Voices  were  soon  heard,  coming  from  within,  and 
Max  quickly  decided  that  Shack  and  Amiel  must 
be  taunting  Steve,  who  was  being  held  a  prisoner 
in  this  ridiculous  fashion,  to  suit  the  ideas  of  Ted, 
who  secretly  yearned  to  go  out  West  and  be  a 
genuine  cowboy — he  had  once  seen  the  Buffalo  Bill 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  167 

Show,  and  ever  since  had  but  one  longing,  which 
was  to  become  a  broncho  buster. 

The  three  boys  crept  up  to  the  open  door  of  the 
cabin ;  indeed,  it  could  not  be  anything  but  an  open- 
ing, since  the  door  itself  lay  on  the  ground,  desti- 
tute of  hinges  or  lock.  "  Well,"  Shack  was  saying, 
in  his  nasty  way,  as  Max  and  his  two  chums  arrived 
at  the  opening,  "yuh  won't  be  so  sassy,  Steve 
Dowdy,  after  yuh  been  here  a  hull  day,  a-wantin' 
some  grub  the  worst  kind.  Ted,  he's  jest  bound 
tuh  break  up  that  club  o'  yourn;  and  w'en  he  sez 
he's  a-goin'  tuh  do  a  thing,  you  bet  he  will." 

"  Bah,  rats !  go  chase  yourselves  for  a  lot  of 
sapheads ! " 

That  was  Steve  talking,  and  the  sound  of  his 
voice  surely  gave  Max  a  pleasant  thrill.  Appar- 
ently, then,  these  rough  fellows  n:  1  not  been  able 
to  cow  good  old  Steve  in  the  least,  io  all  they  had 
held  him  a  prisoner  and  possibly  treated  him  in 
anything  but  a  gentle  way. 

"  Talk's  cheap,"  came  in  another  voice,  a  soft 
oily  one  that  Max  knew  belonged  to  Amiel  Toots; 
but  you  just  wait  and  see  what  happens  to  you, 
Steve  Dowdy.  When  Ted  gets  things  workin'  you're 
due  for  a  surprise,  you  hear  me  talkin't  'Spect 
to  see  them  chums  of  yours  drop  in  on  us,  heyt 
Why,  they  couldn't  find  you  in  a  thousand  years, 
Steve,  believe  me." 

"  That's  where  you're  wrong,  Toots ;  we're  here 
right  now ! " 


168  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

Max  said  this.  He  was  already  halfway  through 
the  doorway  as  he  spoke,  and  the  other  two  clung 
close  to  his  heels. 

Shack  and  Amiel,  astonished  and  angered  be- 
yond measure,  sprang  to  their  feet.  They  were 
ready  boys  with  their  fists,  but  this  was  a  time 
when  they  found  themselves  up  against  a  proposi- 
tion they  could  not  handle. 

"  Keep  back,  or  you're  due  for  a  pair  of  broken 
heads!"  warned  Max,  as  he  flourished  his  stick 
threateningly. 

"  Oh,  please  let  me  just  have  a  little  fun ! "  whim- 
pered Bandy-legs,  whom  Owen  had  great  difficulty 
in  hole1  ^g  back.  "  It  ain't  fair  to  let  'em  off  so 
easy  after  what  they  did  to  our  chum  Steve.  Stir 
'em  up,  Max,  and  give  me  just  one  little  whack. 
I'd  settle  Shack  all  right;  I'd  make  Amiel  see  a 
thousand  stars,  yes,  and  a  few  moons  in  the  bar- 
gain." 

"  Ted,  Ted ! "  both  of  the  others  started  to  yell 
at  the  top  of  their  voices ;  for  they  were  accustomed 
to  believing  that  Ted  Shafter  could  do  almost  any- 
thing; and  in  their  minds  his  very  presence  was  a 
tower  of  strength. 

At  that  the  three  intruders  began  to  laugh  loudly. 
Bandy-legs  even  mocked  the  calls  of  the  pair  of 
young  rascals. 

"  Ted,  oh,  Ted !  Come  and  help  us,  please !  Hurry 
up,  Ted,  and  chase  these  bad  fellows  out  of  here! 
But  Ted  has  troubles  of  his  own  right  now,  let  me 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  169 

tell  you,  boys;  fact  is,  he's  tied  hand  and  foot,  and 
got  my  nose-wipe  over  his  mouth,  so  he  can't  even 
give  a  sneeze,  let  alone  a  war-whoop.  Ted,  poor  old 
boy,  went  to  the  wall,  or  the  spring,  once  too  often. 
He's  as  helpless  as  a  baby.  Now  dry  up,  you ! " 

The  two  who  had  been  caught  so  neatly  in  a 
trap  began  to  feel  alarmed  by  this  time.  They 
whimpered,  just  as  cowards  usually  do  when  cor- 
nered. 

"  Say,  we  didn't  mean  to  do  anything  to  Steve," 
Amiel  started  to  say.  "  It  was  all  a  joke,  you  see ; 
we  wanted  to  make  you  think  he'd  been  carried 
away  by  some  hobo  crowd.  We  was  goin'  to  let 
him  loose  after  a  bit,  when  we'd  got  all  the  fun 
we  wanted  out'n  the  thing." 

"  Yes,  you  were,  not !  "  declared  Steve,  who  was 
now  discovered  bound,  in  what  had  once  been  a 
sleeping  bunk."  Hello,  fellows,  get  me  loose  here, 
right  away,  please.  I've  got  a  little  business  in 
hand,  and  I'm  just  itching  to  get  at  it." 

Max  knew  what  he  meant,  but  he  did  not  wish 
to  have  impetuous  Steve  pounding  his  late  captors, 
however  much  they  might  deserve  it. 

"  You  fellows  get  out  of  this  in  a  hurry,"  he  said, 
stepping  aside  so  that  they  had  free  access  to  the 
open  doorway.  "  And  you  can't  run  any  too  fast, 
once  you  get  out  of  here.  Owen,  you  cut  Steve 
loose,  will  you! " 

Both  Shack  and  Amiel  waited,  not  on  the  order 
of  their  going,  but  made  a  leap  for  the  doorway. 


170  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

Bandy-legs  was  watching  and  did  not  mean  to  be 
wholly  cheated  out  of  what  he  considered  his  dues. 

He  made  a  sweeping  blow,  and  Shack,  who  was 
in  the  lead,  gave  a  howl  as  the  club  caught  him  a 
terrific  whack  across  the  last  part  to  get  through 
the  exit.  Amiel  hesitated,  and  this  cost  him  dear, 
for  if  he  had  instantly  followed  his  companion,  the 
wielder  of  the  cudgel  could  not  have  found  time 
enough  to  wind  up  for  another  swing. 

"  Come  right  along  and  take  your  medicine, 
Amiel,"  grinned  Bandy-legs,  as  he  waved  his  club 
backward  and  forward,  just  as  he  always  did  his 
baseball  bat  when  facing  the  pitcher.  "  Jump  and 
take  what  I  give  you,  or  stay  and  settle  with 
Steve!  And  he's  nearly  loose  now,  Amiel.  Take 
your  choice ! " 

So  Amiel,  uttering  little  yelps  of  terror  even  be- 
fore he  was  struck,  finally  made  a  wild  dash  to 
get  out.  Bandy-legs  was  not  caught  napping,  as  the 
shriek  that  the  other  gave  testified. 

Not  satisfied,  the  wielder  of  the  club  chased  after 
the  two  flying  ones. 

"  I  want  to  see  they  don't  set  Ted  free ! "  he 
called  back  as  he  ran. 

But  there  was  no  danger,  for  just  then  Shack  and 
bis  mate  were  only  thinking  of  placing  as  much 
ground  between  themselves  and  the  cabin  as  pos- 
sible. 

Later   on,    Steve   having   been   rubbed   down  so 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  171 

that  the  circulation  was  restored  to  his  cramped 
limbs,  they  all  went  over  to  the  spring. 

Ted  Shafter  was  lying  there,  looking  glum  and 
black.  He  scowled  in  a  hateful  way  as  he  saw  them 
come  along.  Max  immediately  removed  the  gag  that 
kept  Ted  from  speaking. 

"We're  going  to  leave  you  here,  Ted,"  he  re- 
marked, coolly.  "  When  you  feel  like  it  just  shout 
out  for  your  two  friends  to  come  back  and  set  you 
free.  You're  getting  off  pretty  cheap  this  time ;  but 
just  keep  on  trying  to  bother  us,  and  see  what  you'll 
be  up  against.  Perhaps  we've  had  some  fun  out  of 
this  thing  as  well  as  you.  And,  Ted,  they  do  say 
the  fellow  that  laughs  last  laughs  loudest.  Give  him 
one  to  remember  us  by,  fellows! " 

Of  course  he  meant  a  taunting  laugh;  but  Steve 
chose  to  misunderstand  the  words,  for  he  ran  in 
and  gave  the  bound  Ted  a  good  hearty  kick. 

"  Hold  on,"  cried  Max,  "  I  wouldn't  do  that  sort 
of  thing,  Steve." 

"  He  knows  I  can't  hit  back,"  said  Ted,  savagely. 
"  You  just  wait  and  see  what  you  get  for  that  kick, 
Steve  Dowdy.  I  ain't  done  with  you  yet,  by  a  long 
sight." 

"  And  we'll  fix  you  if  you  as  much  as  lay  a  fin- 
ger on  our  chum!"  flashed  Bandy-legs,  angrily. 
"  An  injury  to  one  is  an  injury  to  all,  hey,  fellows?  " 

"  Come  on,  boys,"  said  Max,  anxious  to  get  away 
where  he  could  no  longer  look  upon  that  enraged 
face  of  the  helpless  bully,  almost  frothing  at  the 


172  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

mouth  because  of  his  inability  to  work  those  ready 
fists  of  his. 

So  they  walked  away,  noticing  as  they  went,  how- 
ever, that  the  three  motorcycles  belonging  to  Ted 
and  his  companions  were  actually  in  sight.  This 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  Shack  and  Amiel  must 
have  gone  for  their  wheels  after  arriving  at  the 
cabin,  where  Ted  had  been  waiting  for  them  in 
advance. 

It  seemed  a  long  walk  back  to  the  place  where 
their  own  machines  had  been  left  in  charge  of  Toby. 
They  were  getting  near  the  spot  when  loud 
voices  close  by  attracted  their  attention.  Then  three 
men  in  blue  uniforms  were  seen  approaching,  and 
to  the  astonishment  of  the  boys  these  parties  hailed 
them. 

"  We  belong  to  the  penitentiary  over  at  Wal- 
tham,"  one  who  seemed  to  be  the  leader  remarked, 
as  they  came  up ;  "  and  we're  hunting  for  a  desper- 
ate convict  who  managed  to  escape  yesterday.  He's 
a  small-sized  man,  but  a  terror.  Have  you  seen 
anything  of  a  zebra-striped  fellow  anywhere  in  the 
woods  to-day,  boys  ? " 

"  No,  sir,  not  a  thing,"  replied  Max,  promptly. 
"  We've  been  up  quite  a  ways,  too,  chasing  after  a 
set  of  rowdies  who  had  made  one  of  our  chums 
prisoner,  just  out  of  spite.  We've  got  our  motor- 
cycles not  far  away  from  here,  and  some  lunch  tied 
to  them.  If  it  happens  now  that  you  gentlemen 
are  hungry,  why,  it's  just  noon,  and  I  think  we'd 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  173 

have  enough  all  around.  They're  welcome,  eh, 
boys ! " 

"  Sure  they  are ;  and  I'm  as  hungry  as  a  bear, 
so  come  on,  fellows ! "  cried  Steve. 

"  That's  mighty  nice  of  you,  young  fellow,"  re- 
marked the  officer  in  blue;  "we  didn't  think  to 
fetch  anything  to  eat  along.  And  we'll  take  you  at 
your  word,  hoping  to  return  the  favor  some  day." 

"  Hello !  there's  the  wheels,  boys ! "  exclaimed 
Bandy-legs  a  little  while  later;  "but  I  don't  see 
anything  of  our  chum,  Toby.  Hello,  there,  Toby, 
show  up ! " 

In  answer  there  came  a  strange  mumbling,  and 
then  the  word: 

"C-c-can't!" 

"  Something's  holdin'  him ! "  cried  Bandy-legs. 
"  Looky  there,  I  c'n  see  his  legs  kicking  in  the 
grass.  Hurry  up,  fellers,  and  help  poor  old  Toby ! " 

They  ran  forward,  boys  and  men  in  a  bunch. 
And  then  cries  broke  forth  when  they  saw  Toby 
sprawled  upon  the  back  of  a  figure  that  was 
dressed  in  the  zebra-like  garments  of  a  convict. 

"  He's  gone  and  caught  our  escaped  bird !  Plucky 
boy  that ! "  cried  one  of  the  wardens ;  at  which  the 
other  boys  stared  as  though  they  could  hardly  be- 
lieve their  eyes. 

Of  course  the  runaway  from  the  State  peniten- 
tiary was  soon  hand-cuffed,  and  rendered  harmless. 
Although  accounted  a  desperate  man,  he  could  take 
a  joke,  and  he  declared  that  it  was  certainly  on 


174  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

him,  to  have  a  half-grown  boy  sit  on  his  back  for 
half  an  hour  and  more,  tapping  him  on  the  head 
with  a  clump  of  wood  every  time  he  moved,  and 
threatening  dire  things  unless  he  stayed  still. 

That  was  a  merry  lunch,  one  none  of  the  Outing 
Boys  would  soon  forget.  And  afterwards  th?  war- 
dens took  their  prisoner  away. 

"  What  say,  fellows,  shall  we  head  back  to 
town  now  ? "  asked  Max,  when  the  party  had  van- 
ished from  their  view. 

"  Might  as  well,"  declared  Steve.  "  Seems  like 
we've  had  about  all  the  excitement  that's  good  for  us 
in  one  day.  Gee,  but  that  p  3ky  machine  did  carry 
me  along  like  the  wind !  Bui  in  the  end  I  found  out 
how  to  stop  her,  didn't  I,  Max!  It  won't  run  away 
with  Steve  Dowdy  again,  let  me  tell  you !  " 

"Went  fast  enough  for  once,  then,  did  you, 
Steve  ?  "  asked  Owen. 

"  Oh !  I  suppose  so,"  was  all  the  impetuous  one 
would  say  in  return. 

Accordingly  they  turned  their  faces  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Carson. 

"  Some  fine  day  we'll  come  up  in  this  region  again," 
declared  Max. 

"  That's  right,  we  will,"  echoed  Bandy-legs. 

"  Say,  won't  the  folks  stare  when  we  tell  'em  about 
what  Toby  did,"  remarked  Steve,  as  he  carefully  ex- 
amined his  machine  before  attempting  to  mount; 
because  he  had  come  to  feel  a  great  amount  of  re- 
spect for  it  by  now,  after  his  recent  experience. 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  175 

"  He's  sure  a  credit  to  the  Outing  Boys !  "  declared 
Max. 

"  So  say  we  all  of  us,"  Owen  went  on ;  "  three 
cheers  for  Toby  Jucklin!"  and  they  made  the  lim- 
ber echo  with  their  shouts. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   LUCK    OP    TOBY   JUCKLIN — Conclusion. 

"  HOUSE  looks  all  shut  up  like  there's  nobody  home, 
fellers ! " 

Bandy-legs  it  was  who  made  this  remark.  It  was 
on  the  day  following  that  when  the  Outing  Boys  had 
made  their  first  long  run,  and  met  with  such  surpris- 
ing adventures  on  the  way.  Bandy-legs  was  accom- 
panied by  Max,  Owen,  and  Steve;  and  besides  the 
father  of  young  Hastings  was  in  the  party. 

The  building  they  were  approaching  was  an  old 
one ;  and  here  the  miserly  Nathan  Jucklin  had  lived 
for  many  years.  Indications  of  neglect  could  be 
seen  on  every  hand ;  for  old  Nathan  would  not  expend 
a  cent  repairs  if  he  could  help  it. 

"  Oh,  that's  no  sign,"  declared  Steve  Dowdy.  "  Al- 
ways did  look  like  a  haunted  house.  Keckon  we'll 
find  the  old  man  in,  and  I  jus'  bet  you  he's  shut  Toby 
up  because  he  learned  this  morning  down-town 
what's  been  going  on.  Toby  said  he'd  want  him  to 
sell  his  motorcycle  and  turn  the  money  over  to  him, 
if  ever  he  heard  about  how  we  found  those  pearls, 
and  sold  'em  for  a  big  sum." 

176 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  177 

"  Well,  come  along,  and  we'll  try  the  door,"  said 
Max,  leading  the  way  after  his  customary  way. 

"Locked,"  he  added  a  minute  later,  after  trying 
to  push  the  door  open. 

"  Say,  what's  the  reason  we  can't  open  that  win- 
dow, and  get  in  T "  suggested  Steve. 

"  You  do  it,  Steve,  and  then  come  around  and  un- 
lock the  door,"  observed  Max.  "  Go  quiet-like,  and 
make  as  little  noise  as  you  can.  There's  a  train 
coming  along  so  that  rumble  might  deaden  any  or- 
dinary racket.  We'll  wait  for  you  by  the  door." 

Max  said  this  because  he  did  not  think  his  father 
would  like  to  enter  the  house  of  the  miser  through 
a  window.  Old  Nathan  might  later  on  think  to  take 
the  law  on  the  gentleman  for  such  an  unwarranted 
proceeding;  but  it  was  different  stepping  across  a 
door  sill. 

Steve  was  apparently  quite  equal  to  the  task  he 
had  set  himself.  Watching,  they  saw  him  deftly 
open  the  window,  which  perhaps  the  miser  had  neg- 
lected to  properly  secure  that  morning  after  throw- 
ing back  the  heavy  wooden  blinds.  Then  the  agile 
boy  vanished  from  view. 

"  He's  in  all  right ! "  chuckled  Bandy-legs.  "  And 
he  did  it  pretty  near  as  slick  as  I  could  have  done. 
Steve's  all  right.  And  now  I  hear  him  unchaining 
the  door.  Gee!  but  how  many  more  bolts  does  he 
have  to  shove  back?  Talk  about  your  castle,  this 


178  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

old  rookery  of  Nathan  Jucklin's  got  'em  all  beat  a 
mile." 

By  the  time  Bandy-legs  had  delivered  himself  of 
all  this,  the  door  swung  open,  squeaking  dismally  as 
the  rusty  hinges  called  loudly  for  the  oil  the  miser 
never  would  open  his  heart  to  buy. 

"Keep  still,  now,  for  goodness'  sake,  Bandy- 
legs  !  "  cautioned  Max,  as  the  little  party  passed  into 
the  ramshackle  home  of  Nathan  Jucklin. 

It  was  a  most  desolate  looking  interior  they  saw, 
when  compared  with  their  own  comfortable  homes; 
and  Max  was  more  than  ever  determined  that  Toby 
should  be  given  a  chance  to  enjoy  the  good  things 
of  life.  For  Mr.  Hastings  had  been  down  to  the 
city,  and  brought  back  news  with  him  that  had 
cheered  the  hearts  of  Toby's  comrades. 

They  caught  the  sound  of  a  loud  and  raucous 
voice.  Every  fellow  had  heard  old  Nathan  talk 
many  a  time,  and  had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  his 
rasping  tones  now,  especially  since  they  were  inside 
his  living  place,  wretched  hovel  that  it  was. 

Without  making  any  more  noise  than  they  could 
possibly  help,  the  little  party  passed  on  until  they 
were  close  to  the  apartment  from  which  the  sound  of 
the  voices  came — for  by  now  they  had  heard  Toby's 
stammering  tones  in  addition  to  those  of  his  old 
relative. 

"  I'm  your  legally  appointed  gardeen,"  the  niser 
was  saying,  harshly ;  "  just  remember  that,  boy,  and 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  179 

you've  got  to  mind  me.  Everything  you've  got  is  in 
my  charge,  and  precious  little  at  that.  But  sech  a 
sinful  waste  of  good  money  I  never  heard  before. 
The  ijee  of  a  boy  havin'  a  motorcycle  wuth,  they 
tells  me,  a  hundred  and  ninety  or  two  hundred  dol- 
lars, when  I  find  it  hard  to  git  the  money  to  buy  the 
food  you  eat,  and  the  clothes  you  put  on  your  back!  " 

"  Then  w-w-why  don't  you  let  me  g-g-go  to  work, 
and  earn  my  own  1-1-living?"  the  boy  burst  out. 
"I'd  do  it  in  a  minute,  too!  I  d-d-don't  want  to 
s-s-stay  here  in  this  old  rat's  nest  another  day  'f  I 
c'n  h-h-help  it.  I'm  tired  of  being  helf  fed,  and 
b-b-badgered  all  the  time  in  the  b-b-bargain.  As  for 
that  motorcycle,  'tain't  mine  alone.  B-b-belongs  to 
the  c-c-club,  and  they  won't  let  you  t-t-take  it ! "  Toby 
was  answering  back. 

"  That  will  do  to  tell  the  marines,"  the  old  man 
jeered.  "  I  got  the  hull  story  straight,  and  I  knows 
that  you  was  entitled  to  the  full  amount  of  one  of 
them  ere  pearls.  If  so  be  they  keep  the  motorcycle, 
I'll  see  that  Mr.  Hastings  does  the  square  thing,  and 
hands  over  one  of  them  pearls  as  hasn't  been  sold 
yet.  I  need  the  money  to  buy  food,  and  keep  you 
in  clothes." 

"  Well,  you  won't  get  it,  then ! "  exclaimed  Toby, 
with  a  flash  of  determination  in  his  manner;  for 
what  Max  and  Owen  had  been  saying  to  him  of  late 
had  caused  him  to  pluck  up  new  courage. 

"  That  will  do  for  you,  Tobias,"  said  the  old  man, 

24 


180  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

sternly.  "  Think  because  you  jest  sot  on  that  ere 
'scaped  jailbird  till  the  keepers  came  along,  you  c'n 
sass  your  legally  app'inted  gardeen,  and  the  trustee 
of  your  father's  mite  of  an  estate.  But  if  you  dares 
to  defy  me  I'll  have  to  try  some  sterner  measures. 
I  knows  my  rights,  boy,  and  I  always  keep  the  law 
behind  me  in  whatever  I  do ! " 

"  Well,  this  time,  then,  the  law  has  caught  up  with 
you,  Nathan  Jucklin ! "  said  Mr.  Hastings,  suddenly 
stepping  into  the  room,  followed  by  the  four  Outing 
Boys,  all  of  them  smiling  broadly  in  the  direction 
of  the  astonished  Toby,  whose  face  went  white  with 
sudden  alarm,  then  turned  rosy  red  with  hope. 

Nathan  Jucklin,  who  was  a  small,  sour-faced  man, 
with  ratty  eyes,  in  which  the  word  "  miser  "  seemed 
to  be  indelibly  stamped,  hardly  knew  what  to  un- 
derstand from  this  unexpected  invasion  of  his  prem- 
ises. 

"  W-what's  all  this  mean,  neighbor,  a-coming  into 
my  house  in  sech  a  unwarranted  way?  Why,  I  could 
have  the  law  on  you  for  trespass  and  breakin'  in ! " 
he  managed  to  stammer,  although  from  his  manner, 
and  the  yellow  color  that  had  come  upon  his  thin 
face,  it  was  evident  that  he  was  hardly  in  a  fighting 
mood;  the  presence  of  Mr.  Hastings  doubtless  ex- 
cited quite  a  lively  fear  in  his  guilty  heart. 

"  Oh !  I  hardly  think  the  law  would  call  it  tres- 
passing, when  I  simply  stepped  in  through  an  open 
door,"  said  the  gentleman,  impressively.  "  But  I 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  181 

wanted  to  see  you,  Mr.  Jucklin,  to  inform  you  that 
I  have  just  come  up  from  consulting  my  lawyer  in 
the  city.  Together  we  have  been  looking  over  the 
recorded  last  will  and  testament  of  the  late  Mr.  Am- 
brose Jucklin,  and  find  that  he  left  quite  a  little 
fortune  in  your  charge,  every  penny  of  which  was 
to  go  to  his  son,  Tobias.  And  as  one  of  the  stipu- 
lations of  your  trusteeship  was  that  you  should  al- 
low the  boy  to  have  the  benefit  of  the  income  of  the 
estate  and  to  give  him  a  comfortable  home,  which 
you  have  surely  failed  to  provide,  I  have  already 
applied  to  the  court  to  have  you  removed  as  his 
guardian,  and  another  party  in  whom  he  will  have 
full  confidence,  appointed." 

Nathan  Jucklin  fell  back  into  a  chair,  gasping  for 
breath.  His  castles  in  the  air  had  all  come  tumbling 
down  in  a  heap,  and  he  saw  ruin  before  him;  at 
least  many  of  the  plans  he  had  been  hugging  to  his 
heart  would  be  swept  away  if  he  had  to  give  a  strict 
account  of  every  dollar  that  had  been  left  in  trust 
for  the  son  of  his  dead  brother. 

"  You  can't  do  it,  Mr.  Hastings ! "  he  managed  to 
cry  finally.  "  He  was  left  in  my  charge  by  my  dying 
brother.  I'm  his  only  living  relative,  and  every 
cent  of  his  estate  can  be  accounted  for.  Only  I  did 
hate  to  see  it  squandered  foolishly.  Money  is  too 
hard  to  get  to  let  it  slip  away ;  and  I  wanted  to  hold 
on  to  it  as  long  as  I  could.  But  he  won't  leave  me, 
will  you,  Tobias?  I'm  your  uncle,  boy.  Say  you'll 


182  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

stay  with  me,  and  let's  try  all  over  again !  Blood's 
thicker  than  water,  boy.  Don't  let  'em  believe  they 
can  coax  you  to  leave  me ! " 

Mr.  Hastings  evidently  had  no  faith  in  this  sudden 
reformation  on  the  part  of  the  old  miser.  He  knew 
that  the  habits  of  a  lifetime  are  not  to  be  easily 
changed ;  and  evidently  poor  Toby  had  suffered  these 
many  years  because  of  the  money-worshiping  na- 
ture of  his  relative,  when  all  the  time  he  was  entitled 
to  a  comfortable  home,  and  loving  friends'  company. 

"  Toby,"  he  went  on  to  say,  quietly  but  earnestly, 
"  the  court  told  me  to  take  you  home,  and  keep  you 
until  this  thing  could  be  settled,  and  another  guard- 
ian appointed.  If  Mr.  Jucklin  knows  what  is  best 
for  him  he  will  make  as  little  trouble  as  possible.  A 
court  is  a  hard  customer  to  deal  with,  and  it  might 
be  he  would  suffer  from  having  failed  to  provide 
for  you  as  he  had  been  instructed  to  do.  Will  you 
go  with  Max  and  I,  Toby? " 

The  boy  looked  from  his  miserable  uncle  to  the 
kind  faces  of  his  friends.  Who  could  hesitate,  when 
for  years  he  had  i.ever  known  a  loving  look  or  word 
under  the  roof  of  the  miser? 

"  I'll  go  with  you,  Mr.  Hastings ! "  he  said,  quick- 
ly, with  a  little  shudder,  as  he  contemplated  all  he 
was  leaving  behind  with  that  decision. 

Old  Nathan  groaned,  but  those  who  knew  him  best 
would  readily  understand  that  his  emotion  was 
caused  by  the  prospect  of  being  so  soon  separated 


THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL.  183 

from  all  the  money  he  held  in  trust  for  his  nephew, 
and  not  because  of  any  affection  he  entertained  to- 
ward Toby. 

And  so  they  went  out,  and  left  him  there  in  his 
squalor,  a  prey  to  remorse  and  fear,  because  he 
did  not  know  what  the  court  might  do  to  him. 

In  good  time,  it  might  as  well  be  stated  here,  the 
court  appointed  a  gentleman  in  Carson,  recom- 
mended by  Mr.  Hastings,  as  guardian  to  Toby  Juck- 
lin.  When  the  old  miser  rendered  his  statement  as 
manager  of  the  estate  it  was  found  that  he  had  ac- 
counted for  every  dollar.  During  these  years,  while 
Toby  was  growing  up,  deprived  of  nearly  every  com- 
fort, there  had  been  an  abundance  of  interest  to  have 
given  him  all  that  his  heart  could  have  wished,  but 
the  miserly  instincts  of  his  uncle  could  not  bear  to 
see  the  money  spent. 

Of  course  the  estate  had  doubled  since  the  death 
of  Toby's  father.  And  because  of  that  fact  the  court 
did  not  pursue  the  matter  any  further,  since  Nathan 
had  not  actually  shown  any  intention  of  appropri- 
ating any  of  the  trust  funds. 

All  the  other  members  of  the  Outing  Boys  Club  re- 
joiced with  Toby  over  his  good  fortune.  But  long* 
before  this  was  brought  about  in  full,  they  had  met 
with  other  surprising  adventures  that  gave  promise 
of  really  eclipsing  any  that  had  gone  before.  Doubt- 
less the  reader,  being  interested  in  the  fortunes  of 
the  characters  in  this  book,  Max,  Owen,  Bandy-legs, 


184  THE  RIVALS  OF  THE  TRAIL. 

Steve  and  Toby,  as  well  as  the  bully  of  Carson  and 
his  cronies,  will  be  glad  to  see  more  of  them  in  the 
next  story,  which  will  be  found  under  the  title  of 
"  The  Strange  Cabin  on  Catamount  Island." 


THE  END. 


Boy  Inventors'  Series 

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2 Boy  Inventors'  and  the  Vanishing  Sun 

3. . .  .Boy  Inventors'  Diving  Torpedo  Set 

4 Boy  Inventors'  Flying  Ship 

5. . .  .Boy  Inventors'  Electric  Ship 

6 Boy  Inventors'  Radio  Telephone 


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2 Electricity  for  Boys 

3 Practical  Mechanics  for  Boy8 


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UNCLE  WIGGILY  SERIES 

By 

HOWARD  R.  GARIS 

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THOSE  SMITH  BOYS 

By 

HOWARD  R.  GARIS 

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THE  DADDY  SERIES 

By 

HOWARD  R.  GARIS 

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Daddy  Takes  Us  Coasting  Daddy  Takes  Us  to  the  Garden 


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FURRY  FOLK  STORIES 

By 
JANE  FIELDING 

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2 Jackie  Hightree Adventures  of  a  Squirrel 

3 Kitty  Purrpuss The  Memoir  of  a  Cat 

4 Master  Reynard The  History  of  a  Fox 

5 Scamp A  Dog's  Own  Story 

6 Wee  Willie  Mousie.Li/e/rom  his  ownViewpoint 

THE  JINGLE  BOOK 

By 
CAROLYN  WELLS 

Price  each  60  cents  postpaid 

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LET'S  MAKE  BELIEVE 
STORIES 

By 

LILIAN  T.  GARIS 

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Price  each  50  cents  postpaid 

1. . .  .Let's  Make  Believe  We're  Keeping  House 

2. ...  Lets  Play  Circus 

3 Let's  Make  Believe  We're  Soldiers 

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Radio  Boys  Series 


1.  Radio  Boys  in  the  Secret  Service;  or,  Cast  Away  on 

an  Iceberg FRANK  HONEYWELL 

2.  Radio  Boys  on  the  Thousand  Islands;  or,  The  Yankee 

Canadian  Wireless  Trail-FRANK  HONEYWELL 

3.  Radio  Boys  in  the  Flying  Service;  or,  Held  for  Ran- 

som by  Mexican  Bandits J.  W.  DUFFIELD 

4.  Radio  Boys  Under  the  Sea;  or,  The  Hunt  for  the 

Sunken  Treasure J.  W.  DUFFIELD 

5.  Radio  Boys  Cronies;  or,  Bill  Brown's  Radio 

WAYNE  WHIPPLE 

6.  Radio  Boys  Loyalty;  or,  Bill  Brown  Listens  In 

WAYNE  WHIPPLE 


Peggy  Parson's  Series 

By  ANNABEL  SHARP 

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and  fascinating  manner  with  the  the  life  and  adventures  of  Girlhood  so 
dear  to  all  Girls  from  eight  to  fourteen  years  of  age.  Printed  from  large 
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VICTORY  BOY 
SCOUT  SERIES 


Stories  by  a  writer  who  possesses  a  thorough  knowledge  of  this 
subject.    Handsomely  bound  in  cloth;  colored  jacket  wrapper. 

1 

The  Campfires  of  the  Wolf  Patrol 

2 
Woodcraft;  or,  How  a  Patrol  Leader  Made  Good 

3 
Pathfinder;  or,  the  Missing  Tenderfoot 

4 
Great  Hike;  or,  The  Pride  of  Khaki  Troop 

5 
Endurance  Test;  or,  How  Clear  Grit  Won  the  Day 

6 
Under  Canvas;  or,  the  Search  for  the  Carteret  Ghost 

7 
Storm-bound;  or,  a  Vacation  among  the  Snow  Drifts 

8 
Afloat;  or,  Adventures  on  Watery  Trails 

9 
Tenderfoot  Squad;  or,  Camping  at  Raccoon  Bluff 

10 
Boy  Scouts  in  an  Airship 

11 
Boy  Scout  Electricians;  or,  the  Hidden  Dynamo 

12 
Boy  Scouts  on  Open  Plains 

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BOYS 
BANNER  SERIES 


A  desirable  assortment  of  books  for  boys,  by  standard  and  favorite 
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1 . .  Afloat  on  the  Flood Leslie 

2.  .At  Whispering  Pine  Lodge Leslie 

3.  .Chums  of  the  Campfire Leslie 

4.  .In  School  and  Out Optic 

5.  .Jack  Winter's  Baseball  Team Overton 

6.  .Jack  Winter's  Campmates Overton 

7.  .Jack  Winter's  Gridiron  Chums Overton 

8.  .Jack  Winter's  Iceboat  Wonder Overton 

9. .  Little  by  Little Optic 

10. .  Motor  Boat  Boys  Mississippi  Cruise Arundel 

11 ..  Now  or  Never Optic 

12. .  Phil  Bradley's  Mountain  Boys Boone 

13. .  Phil  Bradley's  Winning  Way Boone 

14. .  Radio  Boys'  Cronies Whipple 

15. .  Radio  Boys  Loyalty Whipple 

16. .  Rivals  of  the  Trail Leslie 

17. .  Trip  Around  the  Word  in  a  Flying  Machine  Verne 
18.  .Two  years  Before  the  Mast Dana 

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1.  Cudjo's     Cave _ Trowbridge 

2.  Green   Mountain   Boys _. 

3.  Life  of  Kit  Carson „ Edward  L.  Ellis 

4.  Tom  Westlake's  Golden  Luck — Perry  Newberry 

5.  Tony  Keating's  Surprises Mrs.  G.  R.  Alden  (Pansy) 

6.  Tour  of  the  World  in  80  Days Jules  Verne 

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1.  Bee  and  the  Butterfly ~ Lucy  Foster  Madison 

2.  Dixie  School  Girl Gabrielle  E.  Jackson 

3.  Girls  of  Mount  Morris Amanda  Douglas 

4.  Hope's  Messenger Gabrielle  E.  Jackson 

5.  The  Little  Aunt Marion  Ames  Taggart 

6.  A  Modern  Cinderella . Amanda  Douglas 

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By  JOHN  LUTHER  LANGWORTHY 

1.  The  Aeroplane  Boys;  or,  The  Young  Pilots  First  Air 

Voyage 

2.  The  Aeroplane  Boys  on  the  Wing;  or,  Aeroplane 

Chums  in  the  Tropics 

3.  The  Aeroplane  Boys  Among  the  Clouds;  or,  Young 

Aviators  in  a  Wreck 

4.  The  Aeroplane  Boys'  Flights;  or,  A  Hydroplane 

Round-up 

5.  The  Aeroplane  Boys  on  a  Cattle  Ranch 


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BOY  SCOUT  SERIES 

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1. . .  .Boy  Scouts  in  Mexico;  or,  On  Guard  with  Uncle  Sam 
2 ....  Boy  Scouts  in  the  Canal  Zone;  or,  the  Plot  against  Uncle  Sam 
3 ....  Boy  Scouts  in  the  Philippines;  or,  the  Key  to  the  Treaty  Box 

4.  . .  .Boy  Scouts  in  the  Northwest;  or,  Fighting  Forest  Fires 

5.  .  .  .Boy  Scouts  inaMotorBoat;orAdventureson  Columbia  River 

6.  . .  .Boy  Scouts  in  an  Airship;  or,  the  Warning  from  the  Sky 
7. . .  .Boy  Scouts  in  a" Submarine;  or,  Searching  an  Ocean  Floor 
8. . .  .Boy  Scouts  on  Motorcycles;  or,  With  the  Flying  Squadron 
9. .  .  .Boy  Scouts  beyond  the  Arctic  Circle;  or,  the  Lost  Expedition 

10.  ...  Boy  Scout  Camera  Club;  or,  the  Confessions  of  a  Photograph 

11.  ..  .Boy  Scout  Electricians;  or,  the  Hidden  Dynamo 
12 Boy  Scouts  in  California;  or,  the  Flagon  the  Cliff 

13 Boy  Scouts  on  Hudson  Bay;  or,  the  Disappearing  Fleet 

14 Boy  Scouts  in  Death  Valley;  or,  the  City  in  the  Sky 

15.  ..  .Boy  Scouts  on  Open  Plains;  or,  the  Roundup  not  Ordered 

16.  ..  .Boy  Scouts  in  Southern  Waters;  or  the  Spanish  Treasure  Chest 
17. ...  Boy  Scouts  in  Belgium;  or,  Imperiled  in  a  Trap 

18. ..  .Boy  Scouts  in  the  North  Sea;  or,  the  Mystery  of  a  Sub 
19.  .  .  .BoyScoutsMysteriousSignalorPerilsoftheBlackBearPatrol 
20 Boy  Scouts  with  the  Cossacks;  or,  a  Guilty  Secret 

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Special  Standard  12mos 

Bound  in  cloth.     Jacket  printed  in  colors 

An  Old  Fashioned  Girl Louisa  May  Alcott 

Black  Beauty Anna  Sewell 

Children  of  the  Abbey Roche 

Child's  History  of  England Charles  Dickens 

Christmas  Stories Charles  Dickens 

Dog  of  Flanders,  A Ouida 

East  Lynne Mrs.  Henry  Wood 

Elsie  Dinsmore Martha  Finley 

Hans  Brinker Mary  Mapes  Dodge 

Heidi Johanna  Spyri 

Helen's  Babies John  Habberton 

Ishmael E.  D.  E.  N.  Southworth 

Island  of  Appledore Aldon 

Ivanhoe Sir  Walter  Scott 

Kidnapped Robert  Louis  Stevenson 

King  Arthur  and  His  Knights Retold 

Last  Days  of  Pompeii Lytton 

Life  of  Kit  Carson Edward  S.  Ellis 

Little  King,  The Charles  Major 

Little  Lame  Prince Miss  Mulock 

Little  Minister,  The J.  M.  Barrie 

Little  Men Louisa  May  Alcott 

Little  Women Louisa  May  Alcott 

Oliver  Twist Charles  Dickens 

Pilgrim's  Progress John  Bunyan 

Pinocchio C.  Collodi 

Prince  of  the  House  of  David Rev.  J.  H.  Ingraham 

Robin  Hood Retold 

Robinson  Crusoe Daniel  DeFoe 

Self  Raised E.  D.  E.  N.  Southworth 

Sketch  Book Washington  Irving 

St.  Elmo Augusta  J.  Evans  -Wilson 

Swiss  Family  Robinson Wyss 

Tale  of  Two  Cities Charles  Dickens 

Three  Musketeers,  The Alexander  Dumas 

Tom  Brown  at  Oxford Thomas  Hughes 

Tom  Brown's  School  Days Thomas  Hughes 

Treasure  Island Robert  Louis  Stevenson 

Twenty  Thousand  Leagues  Under  the  Sea Jules  Verne 

Twenty  Years  After Alexander  Dumas 

Uncle  Tom's  Cabin Harriet  Beecher  Stowe 

Under  Two  Flags Ouida 

For  Sale  by  all  Book-sellers,  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  60  cents 

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711  •  SOUTH  •  DEARBORN  •  STREET      •      •     CHICAGO 


THE 

EDWARD  S.  ELLIS  SERIES 


STORIES  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN; 

MYSTERY,  ROMANCE  AND 

ADVENTURE 


Every  red  blooded  American  Boy  and  Girl  will  be  greatly  pleased 
with  these  books.  They  are  written  by  the  master  writer  of  such 
books,  EDWARD  S.  ELLIS.  There  is  mystery,  charm  and  excit- 
ment  in  each  volume.  All  the  following  titles  can  be  procured  at 
the  same  place  this  book  was  procured,  or  they  will  be  sent  post- 
paid for  25c  per  copy  or  5  for  $1.00. 

Astray  in  the  Forest  Boy  Hunters  in  Kentucky 

River  and  Forest  The  Daughter  of  the  Chieftain 

Lost  in  the  Rockies  Captured  by  the  Indians 

Bear  Cavern  Princess  of  the  Woods 

The  Lost  River  Wolf  Ear:  The  Indian 

Read  every  one  of  the  above  Titles 
You  will  enjoy  them 


M.   A.   DONOHUE  &  COMPANY 

Manufacturers  and  Publishers  Since  1861 

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ALWAYS  ASK  FOR  THE  DONOHUE 

COMPLETE  EDITIONS  —  THE  BEST  FOR  LEAST  MONEY 


WOODCRAFT 

for  Boy  Scouts  and  Others 

By  OWEN  JONES  and  MARCUS  WOODMAN 

With  a  Message  to  Boy  Scouts  by  SIR  BADEN- 
POWELL,  Founder  of  the  Boy  Scoids'  Movement. 


J 


NE  of  the  essential  requirements  of  the  Boy 
Scout  training  is  a  Knowledge  of  Wopd- 

craft.    This  necessitates  a  book  embracing 

all  the  subjects  and  treating  on  all  the  topics  that 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  Woodcraft  implies. 

This  book  thoroughly  exhausts  the  subject.  It  im- 
parts a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  woods  from  fungus 
growth  to  the  most,  stately  monarch  of  the  forest; 
it  treats  of  the  habits  and  lairs  of  all  the  feathered  ana 
furry  inhabitants  of  the  woods.  Shows  how  to  trail 
wild  animals;  how  to  identify  birds  and  beasts  by 
their  tracks,  calls,  etc.  Tells  how  to  forecast  the 
weather,  ana  in  fact  treats  on  every  phase  of  nature 
with  which  a  Boy  Scout  or  any  woodman  or  lover  of 
nature  should  be  familiar.  The  authorship  guarantees 
it's  authenticity  and  reliability.  Indispensable  to  "Boy 
Scouts"  and  others.  Printed  from  large  clear  type  on 
superior  paper. 

Embellished  With  Over  100  Thumb  Nail 
Illustrations  Taken  From  Life 

Bound  in  Cloth.    Stamped  with  unique  and 
appropriate  designs  in  ink. 

Price,  7  5C  Postpaid 
M.  A.  DONOHUE  &  CO. 

701-727  S.  Dearborn  St.  CHICAGO 


KENMORE  SERIES 

NEW  EDITIONS  OF  FAMOUS  BOOKS 

rHE  KENMORE  SERIES  is  composed  of  select  titles  by 
famous  authors  of  boys  and  girls  books.    Printed  from  new  plates 
on  a  high  quality  paper.     Four  illustrations,  inlay  and  wrapper  of  each 
book  printed  in  full  colors.  Cloth-bound  and  stamped  from  unique  dies. 

An  Old  Fashioned  Girl     .     Louisa  May  Alcott 
Black  Beauty  ...          ...    Anna  Sewell 

Elsie  Dinsmore Martha  Finley 

Heidi Johanna  Spyri 

King  Arthur Retold 

Little  Lame  Prince Miss  Mulock 

Little  Men Louisa  May  Alcott 

Little  Women      ....    Louisa  May  Alcott 

Pinocchio C.  Collodi 

Robin  Hood Retold 

Storyland  Gems  for  Little  Folks       Winnington 
Treasure  Island    .     .     .  Robert  Louis  Stevenson 

For  sale  by  all  Booksellers,  or  sent  postpaid 
upon  receipt  of  $1.25 

M-A-DONOHUE-tf-COMPANY 

711  SOUTH  DEARBORN  STREET  •  CHICAGO 


CALUMET  SERIES 

of  POPULAR  COPYRIGHTS 


Apaches  of  New  York Alfred  Henry  Lewis 

Arsene  Lupin,  Gentleman  Burglar  . . .  Maurice  Leblanc 

Battle,  The Cleveland  Moffett 

Black  Motor  Car,  The Harris  Burland 

Captain  Love Theodore  Roberts 

Cavalier  of  Virginia,  A Theodore  Roberts 

Champion,  The John  Collin  Dane 

Comrades  of  Peril Randall  Parrish 

Devil,  The Van  Westmm 

Dr.  Nicholas  Stone E.  Spence  DePue 

Devils  Own,  The Randall  Parrish 

End  of  the  Game,  The Arthur  Hornblow 

Every  Man  His  Price Max  Rittenberg 

Garrison's  Finish W.  B.  M.  Ferguson 

Harbor  Master,  The Theodore  Roberts 

King  of  the  Camorra E.  Serav 

Land  of  the  Frozen  Suns Bertrand  W.  Sinclair 

Little  Grey  Girl Mary  Openshaw 

Master  of  Fortune Cutliffe  Hyne 

New  England  Folks  Eugene  W.  Presbrey 

Night  Winds  Promise Varick  Vanardy 

Red  Nights  of  Paris Goron 

Return  of  the  Night  Wind Varick  Vanardy 

True  Detective  Stories A.  L.  Drummond 

Watch-Dog,  The Arthur  Hornblow 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  50c. 

M.  A.  DONOHUE  &  COMPANY 

701-733  S.  DEARBORN  STREET  ::  CHICAGO 


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